Inheritance of the Forvedge
by Shenhua the Knife Lady
Summary: What if on her First Year, a letter came for young Iris while she was alone on the train? She discovers a heritage known only to her mother and maternal grandparents that her Aunt Petunia and even her own father did not know about? And what differences did this make in her life in Hogwarts? Fem!Harry Fate Series X-Over
1. The Letter on the Train

The Letter on the Train

Iris Potter is on her way to Hogwarts on the Train when she received an owl before the train started moving.

"An owl for me?" She wondered. She has nobody to write to and knew nobody in the Wizarding World unless its Hagrid or something.

She looked at the pure-white, fancy envelope that read,

**Ms. I. Potter**  
**Car 10 Hogwarts Train,**  
**Last Compartment**

"OK, that's pretty creepy." Iris sweatdropped as she began reading her letter.

**To my baby girl Iris,**

Iris hoped this would be a relative which means no Dursleys for good.

**By the time you get this letter, you're 11 years old and as planned,**  
**You'll get this on the train at the time you're alone. I want this only**  
**between Family. You see, the Evans Family isn't really my family. In**  
**fact, I was told I was adopted when I was 17, when I graduated at**  
**Hogwarts. My parents deemed me old enough to know the truth. No**  
**one, not even Petunia knows I'm adopted.**

**You see, an injured close-to-death woman came upon Camping Grounds**  
**somewhere up north in Britain, and both mum and dad were out camping**  
**as a family with baby Petunia...and this woman came, carrying her baby**  
**girl and begged them to keep me safe, and gave them a locked diary for**  
**me to get when I'm old enough. When I got it, I discovered that I was**  
**meant for magic since day one. I wasn't a Muggleborn Witch. I'm in fact,**  
**a member of the Magus Family, the Forvedge. My mother ran away from**  
**home because she got pregnant with the child of her human lover...me.**  
**Because mother refused to abort me as the Forvedge wants their descendants**  
**to marry only Magi, she and her lover are on the run. She managed to protect**  
**themselves but when she's on her last three months, they hid in a hut**  
**with a midwife father hired. Mother gave birth to me and for the first few**  
**months, all seem well...until my relatives found us. Father told mother to run**  
**while he holds them off with guns...and then mother on her dying moments,**  
**met the Evans.**

**Not even my foster parents know I'm a Magus. But they did take my magic**  
**abilities in stride when I discovered magic as a child...and this led to Petunia's**  
**jealousy that I have magic and she doesn't. I kept the diary buried under the gold**  
**in the trust vault we created for you and not even James knows the truth about me.**  
**Stay safe and do NOT use the Forvedge name. EVER. Being a Potter is loads safer.**  
**While indeed we have a target mark on us targeted by Voldemort, Voldemort, after**  
**reading mother's diary, is nothing compared to the Magi, the community of magic**  
**users I came from.**

**Get and study the diary when you get the chance. I never got the chance to. And never**  
**leave it lying around. Mother used a special boundary field that the lock only opens if a**  
**Forvedge Member willingly opens the diary with its key. Only you can open it but still,**  
**don't leave it around. This is the only thing mommy can give you. Become a great Magus**  
**where I couldn't.**

**Love,**

**Lily Forvedge Evans**

Iris' heart sank.

While she's glad she's never related to Petunia, her relatives are far, far worse...and deadly.

She sent a letter to Gringotts about the diary and key her mother buried somewhere in her Trust Vault, and that she gets it when she's alone and no witnesses in Hogwarts when the Train left the Platform.

Thus, due to her need for privacy, she pretended that she's not 'the Iris Potter' by strategically hiding her scar with her fringes. When a redheaded boy asked if he could share a compartment with her as 'everything else is full', she said that girls need their privacy and she would only share with girls until she's gotten comfortable with male company.

The boy clearly has a motive as he seems searching her FACE as he asked her for sharing space.

Just another fan who wanted to be near a celebrity, she thought in distaste. She saw him and his family earlier in the Platform, making sure everyone looks at them funny by making references to the Platform she wanted to find. So she hid and waited. They too, waited for something until they decided they can wait no longer and had her children go through...the brick pillar where the signs for 9 and 10 hung. When they were all gone, she flattened her fringe before going in with another family for camouflage. This explained why Hagrid never told her where the Platform is...its THEIR job and apparently, she is to meet people the Headmaster wants her to meet but she isn't interested in them. They're probably as uninformative as Hagrid and could not be relied on. They knew what she WANTED to know but are clearly keeping the details she wanted to know from her. Its her family dammit, how dare they deny her knowledge about her parents?!

Not long after buying snacks from the Trolley Witch, there's a bossy-sounding girl with a shy, timid-looking pudgy boy came knocking asking if there's a Toad in the compartment since he lost his runaway pet. Iris suggested the bathrooms as Toads like moist places or if not there, ask an Upperclassman to help magically locate the naughty pet, saving them all the trouble compartment-hunting.

Sometime later, a haughty blonde boy came knocking, asking for Iris Potter. She denied knowing er...herself and politely advised to look elsewhere. So he and his grunts left.

By sundown, still on the train, she got what she wanted. Her grandmother's diary.

And so it begins.


	2. Sundown Chapters

Sundown Chapters

The first page started with information about the Forvedge Family.

The Forvedge is a slowly dwindling clan as their blood started to thin, producing generations with fewer and weaker Magic Circuits thus arranged marriages are all the more necessary in a bid to thicken their clan but nothing works as the situation gets worse. Until recently, the recent descendants no longer possessed Circuits and made a living as wealthy landowners while still studying their proud, noble and magical ancestry until a prodigy in her grandmother was born, born with having 40 Circuits of EX Quality, so she is hastily arranged to marry a Sophia-Ri in a political marriage since she was a BABY.

Her grandmother, Christina Forvedge, underwent grueling training and education since she was six to strengthen and make an excellent Magus out of her. She even went to the Clock Tower in London to further her knowledge and craft and be close to the Sophia-Ri Family who, for many generations, headed Eulyphis. She's even enrolled in the Department against her wishes when she wanted to study in the Department for Universal Research.

Having had enough of having her whole life mapped out for her till she married her fiancée, Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, she ran away from the Tower and met her human lover, Eric Reynolds, a tourist from America. They hit it off and she traveled with him for many years until they fell in love. But ten years later after they met when Christina was pregnant with a baby, they were found by Enforcers hired to bring her back, and Christina was forced to reveal what she is in a violent battle...and told him of her unhappy past that she ran away from and was scared that he would hate her because she is magic and his religion...instead, he helped her as he got to know her and she clearly wanted help in getting away to live a meaningful and happy life.

That was the end of that chapter. The rest...is in her mother's letter.

Chapter two was about Magic Circuits. They are a pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body and what qualifies a person to be amagus. Their normal functions are to act as paths that convert Life Force into prana, but humans learned how to control it and use it to perform mysteries. They are that which connects the material world to the astral plane, the paths which connect to the foundations underlying Grand Rituals. If prana is the force that actualize the rules of a Thaumaturgical Theory's system, then the Magic Circuits are the pipelines that converts prana and transmit that energy from the magus to the system.

Magic Circuits reside within the magus's soul, and what is found on the body is just a physical expression of them that stretches itself throughout the body in a fashion similar to the nervous system.

They are composed of core components, which are the actual Circuits so to say, and bypasses that connect those components to the brain. Magic Circuits do not change and once damaged they cannot be repaired. Because organic activity is necessary for the operation of Circuits, it is a common mistake to think that they are literally a part of the magus body. There are rare occasions in which the Circuits continue working even after the practitioner's body has ceased all vital functions. In these cases, destruction of the brain is necessary to stop the Circuits. Their Quality and Quantity are ranked through letters like Magecraft, and their Composition often varies between magi.

As like any other organ, the number of Magic Circuits that one possesses is determined at birth and cannot decrease or increase naturally, meaning that those from older lineages will be more powerful. But it is possible to change that number artificially through a number of methods. One of those methods is through the establishment of a mystic pass between two magi from which the Circuits can transferred. As the Circuits are located in the soul, a fusion of body and mind is required during the transplant. However, the process carries the same risks and complications as a transplant of organs. Furthermore, as the Magic Circuits become unstable if tampered while in use, there is a possibility of mutual destruction if a contract similar to that between a magus and his familiar has not been established beforehand.

For that and other reasons, lineages of magi seek not to tamper with the Circuits of their members while they are alive, but rather try to produce descendants with the greatest 'extra' number of Magic Circuits possible. Note that number is not everything, and quality and precision of the Circuits are also an important factor that differs from lineage to lineage. A normal person rarely acquires Magic Circuits but in these cases they are considered as sudden mutations. Still, the Circuits are ultimately something unnatural for the human body and their activity will cause pain and numbness to the magus. Their very presence in the human body is something uncommon and an ordinary person will have little to none. Also, the use of Magic Circuits increases the magus bodily temperature.

Magic Circuits are 'opened' when prana is run through them for the first time. From that point on, the user can activate them at will through the use of a mental trigger. The image that is related to that trigger will differ from a magus to another: To activate the Circuits a spell is needed while focusing on the awakening. It will also be the first and only moment of a Magus' life that they will know how many they have while parents can cast a special Circuit Clairvoyance Spell to determine if their child has circuits while still in the womb.

Iris figured that since her circuit numbers wasn't mentioned, either her mother never got the chance to check or she doesn't have any. Her mother never got the chance to train herself despite knowing family craft...

So Iris checked herself using the spell while focusing on her magical powers to awaken her Circuits.

'Alte Macht in mir,  
Ich besuche Ihre Macht drei,  
finden Sie eine Weise, mir zu helfen,  
schließen Sie die Mächte in mir auf,  
Ich bedanke mich bei thee,  
So das Stäubchen es sein.'

Upon doing so, she saw images of circuits in her body as her prana flowed through all of her circuits, and felt warmth flow into her. Her grandmother has 40 EX, so her mother has a high chance of having good quality circuits while being a witch. And Iris is also a witch. And because of her lineage, a half-magi and half-witch, her Circuits are 40 A+. not an EX like her grandmother or maybe her mother but for her it's OK. As long as she got her lineage.

Chapter 3 is about Magus Elementary Training...and she stops here for now as the Conductor told everyone that they'll be at Hogwarts in fifteen minutes, so everyone dress up in their uniforms. She did just that, while locking and putting away the diary and hid it in the bottom of her trunk, while wearing the key around her neck like a pendant, along with her Gringotts' Key.

This, is it.

xxx

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Iris shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: 'Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Iris?' Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Great, his attention is on her alone and not confused first years. Idiot.

'C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!' Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Iris thought there must be thick trees here. Nobody spoke much. The boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. Really, how can anyone care for an ugly, slimy toad so much?

Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' Hagrid called over his shoulder, 'Jus' round this bend here.'

There was a loud 'Oooooh!'

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

No more'n four to a boat!' Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Iris was followed into her boat by the two kids who were looking for toads and another kid. 'Everyone in?' Hagrid shouted as he had a boat to himself. 'Right then - FORWARD!' And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

Heads down!' yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Oy, you there! Is this your toad?' said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

'Trevor! cried the pudgy boy blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

'Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?'

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.


	3. The Sorting

The Sorting

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Iris' first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

'The firs' years, Professor McGonagall,' said Hagrid.

Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.' and as he left, She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big Iris thought she could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Iris could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right-the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.'

The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much asyou can while you are waiting.'

Her eyes lingered for a moment on some of the students.

'I shall return when we are ready for you,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Please wait quietly.' and she left, leaving behind a flock of nervous students. Iris focused on doing the first step of her elementary training...adapting. By making her prana flow around her circuits like water in pipes and she would be doing this for a good six months.

It also helps to stay warm in the freezing cold of Scotland and she's the only one not shivering. Besides, didn't the book say that Magi have higher body temperatures? Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air, her concentration disrupted.

Several people behind her screamed.

'What the -?' She gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: 'Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -'

'My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?' A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody brave enough answered.

'New students!' said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. 'About to be Sorted, I suppose?'

A few people nodded mutely.  
'Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!' said the Friar. 'My old house, you know.'

'Move along now,' said a sharp voice. 'The Sorting Ceremony's about to start.'

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

'Now, form a line,' Professor McGonagall told the first years, 'and follow me.' they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Iris had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the  
top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Iris looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Iris quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!'

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Iris thought that this is better than told to do a spell as she doesn't know any magic just yet. But she did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather alot; Iris has many goals in life, her inheritance from her mother, train to be a Magus while juggling her studies in Hogwarts, and most importantly, NOT air her two new secrets.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' she said. 'Abbott, Hannah!' A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause-

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.

'Bones, Susan!'

HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah, happy with each other. Iris noted they must be childhood friends or something.

'Boot, Terry!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. 'Brocklehurst, Mandy' went to Ravenclaw too, but 'Brown, Lavender' became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Iris could see a pair of redheaded twins catcalling. 'Bulstrode, Millicent' then became a Slytherin.

'Finch-Fletchley, Justin!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

Finnigan, Seamus,' the sandy-haired boy next to Iris in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

'Granger, Hermione!' the bossy girl with the pudgy shy boy almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

'GRYFFINDOR!' shouted the hat.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. when it finally shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR,' Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to 'MacDougal, Morag.' then after her, Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, 'SLYTHERIN!' Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. 'Moon' 'Nott' 'Parkinson'(someone named after a disease?) then a pair of twin Patil girls where one went to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, then 'Perks, Sally-Anne' and then, at last - 'Potter, Iris!' Iris shuddered as all faces are on her as she stepped forward to the stool and tried to be as calm as she could, while whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

'Potter, did she say?'

'The Iris Potter?'

Iris inwardly grumbled at being ogled at like some museum showpiece.

'Hmm,' said a small voice in her ear. 'Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of determination, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, a Magus! Never heard of you in a thousand years since wizarding folk and magi decided that they don't want anything to do with each other!' the hat chuckled. 'Your secret is safe! So where shall I put you?'

'Not Slytherin as I see future troubles I'd rather do without.' Iris mumbled in her whisper. 'Put me in a house where I'm guaranteed Privacy.'

'Privacy for training eh? That won't be easy because you're a celebrity and fans make it their business to know all about you even if it meant being nosy with your business.' said the Hat to her chagrin. 'No matter where you go until they got enough. But I can tell you where you can safely train...' he said. 'The room is located on the seventh floor in the left corridor of the Hogwarts castle and has a hidden entrance opposite the tapestry depicting the attemptof Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. The way to open the room is to walk past it three times thinking about what you need, and the door will appear. It is advised that the users of this room be very specific about what they are looking for, as it has been shown that other people can enter the room and see what the occupant is doing if they know how the room is being used. '

'Thanks very much.'

'You're welcome dear. I'd love to see a Magus in these halls...now about your qualities...you're mostly Slytherin but as you say, it will bring you trouble so I suppose I'll put you where you'll be safe...' it then started to talk loudly, 'BETTER BE GRYFFINDOR!'


	4. Next Two Chapters

Next Two Chapters

She was getting the loudest cheer yet. Someone got up and shook her hand vigorously, while the twins yelled, 'We got Potter! We got Potter!' Iris sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff she'd seen earlier. The ghost patted her arm, giving her the sudden, horrible feeling she'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.

And now there were only three people left to be sorted. 'Thomas, Dean,' skinned boy joined Iris at the Gryffindor table. 'Turpin, Lisa,' became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron Weasley's turn. He was pale green by now. He put the hat on and the hat shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR!' some boys with similar hair color clapped the loudest. Iris assumed they were his older brothers or cousins.

Well done, Ron, excellent,' said a boy with a 'P' badge on his chest pompously across Iris as 'Zabini, Blaise,' was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. 'Welcome,' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!'

Iris had a couple question marks up her head as everybody clapped and cheered. Soon, the dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

The Dursleys had never exactly starved her, but she'd never been allowed to eat as much as she liked. She often got leftovers and that was it. She began eating her fill, determine to gain some weight before she steps up her training. It was all delicious, and she'll take all opportunity to get healthy in school. When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding...treats Iris was deprived of since the day she turned five. While they ate dessert, the talk turned to their families. At last, after twenty minutes, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.'

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'

Iris laughed, but she was one of the few who did. She thought he just made a damn invitation to stir the students into trouble and poke their noses in where it shouldn't belong.

'And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!' cried Dumbledore. Iris noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. 'Everyone pick their favorite tune,' said Dumbledore, 'And off we go!' And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,'

Iris decided the wizarding folk have ZERO talent in lyrical writing. She stopped singing and looked rather green while the other students sang.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. 'Ah, music,' he said, wiping his eyes. 'A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!' The Gryffindor first years followed the Prefect through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. As they went out, the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, as the Prefect led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Iris was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as the Prefect took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

'Peeves,' Percy the Prefect whispered to the first years. 'A poltergeist.' He raised his voice, 'Peeves - show yourself!' he barked bossily in a rather annoyed manner/ A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. 'Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?' There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

'Oooooooh!' he said, with an evil cackle. 'Ickle Firsties! What fun!' He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

'Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!' barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. 'You want to watch out for Peeves,' said Percy in annoyance as he clearly disliked the Poltergeist, as they set off again. 'The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are.' At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. 'Password?' she said.

'Caput Draconis,' said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. But not Iris.

She had a lifetime's experience of work and running away from her cousin's band of morons that her stamina is way above her peers who clearly had nonexistent stamina, so she wasn't tired. Besides, its only 8:30!

She decided to stay up until ten to read the diary. She was at Elementary Training and how to care for her Circuits, as well as the Do's and Don'ts and she's already doing step one to strengthen her circuits' err...pipe workings, yeah. For children, six months of this is minimum requirement before they can ever learn and use spells using prana. So she'll be using her witch magic in class. So next chapter is about Magic Crests.

Engraved on the body like a magic circle, a Magic Crest is a series of Magic Circuits that were given a more stable form in order to act as an archive of thaumaturgical capability. At some point of the magus' life, he will forge some of his own Magic Circuits into the Crest, store all spells that he learned in life and then pass it down to his successor. As the process repeats itself with each new generation, the older a lineage is the greater the number of Circuits forming the Crest and the greater the amount of knowledge inside it. It is the duty of any heir of a family of magi to successfully expand and pass down the Crest to the next generation.

As the complexity of the Crest increases with each new generation, the spells stored inside them become more stable and easier to activate. As long as the Crest is completely integrated with the magus body, he will be able to cast any spell stored inside of it, even if he himself never had the chance to learn it properly. All he has to do is to activate the Crest just like he would do to a normal Circuit (by running prana inside of it), find the spell stored inside and activate it with its relevant incantation and thaumaturgical process. Furthermore, it is possible to use it to support the magus' regular spellcasting and, whenever the magus gets heavily injured, the Crest is capable of keeping him alive for as long as there is still prana inside his body.

Although the Crest is a set of Magic Circuits independent from those natural to a magus' body, and cannot be detected when no prana is being passed through them, transplantation of a Magic Crest is still very much like that of an internal organ and thus can only be done to a compatible host. Normally that would mean someone who shares blood relation with the magus, but that is not an unbreakable standard. Even between close relatives, the chances of rejection are high. Therefore, in order to increase the chances of success, the transplant is done slowly throughout the heir's childhood, so that their bodies can get accustomed to the presence of the Crest as they mature. Furthermore, the use of medicines made of special herbs and crushed bone is normal during the whole process, although bloodlines with a long history of 500 years or more have achieved a genetic uniformity that allowed them to overcome the need for that altogether.

Despite all the troubles, the Magic Crest is still a highly valued article for any magus. But since usually only one person can inherit it, troubles can arise when there is more than one candidate. It's not unheard of for bloody feuds to erupt inside a clan of magi because of a dispute between two or more children fighting over the family's Crest. It was because of that and other reasons that the current trend of only one heir per family (and the consequential policy of forsaking or excluding all other children) came to be. and because Christina can only get the Family Crest as heiress when she gets married...she never got it when she ran away from home, thus the Crest is still stored in the Forvedge Ancestral Home. It only makes sense that she, the current heiress would never get it.

Next lesson is Mystic Code which is pretty short. It is a support weapon that a magus carries as a magical artifact. There are two general types of Mystic Codes. The first type functions as an amplifier for Magecraft. They are an orthodox Mystic Code for support, that can be used for prana amplification or storage, prepared to strengthen a spell. The other type is a Mystic Code that have a predetermined usage. They are activated with the magus's prana and can perform a given mystery as long as it is supplied with energy. It becomes a spell in itself; many of the Noble Phantasms of Servants are usually of this type. Their usage is unique, so they aren't really generic, but this also means they can be tremendously efficient in what they do.

Iris began thinking as she put away the diary. As of now, her wand is her Mystic Code and a specialized type since its made for witchcraft...for now, she'll focus on her classes for now as it would take her six months to be able to start using Magecraft anyway. So she took out her books.

She isn't alone in this thought.

Hermione Granger who was at the bed across her was also reading the first few chapters of her books.


	5. Classes Begin

Classes Begin

The next day...its harder for most people to leave their Common Rooms where it's warm and comfy and then out into the freezing, cold hallways as Iris noted her shivering peers. She's OK as being a Magus gave her access to higher body temperature and her training will keep her warm for six months straight. Her only complaint is that her dorms...is waaay too high up one literally has to rush just to get to places in the shortest times possible. Yet upon going out...she twitched.

Whispers followed her from the moment she left her dormitory the next day for breakfast. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her, or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring. This is sooo frigging annoying she felt she's an alien from outer space for them to ogle at while they have the chance. This is unnerving and more pressure on her thus. As a celebrity, she has an image to maintain and she has yet to create a positive one. An image that would not put her in a bad light. Her status, reputation and privacy worries aside, she has the school to worry about.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Iris was sure the coats of armor could walk.

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or other harmless yet still annoying pranks.

Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. the local caretaker who seems to HATE children. If so, what the hell is he doing in a dorm school, full of children? Iris wondered often what the hell was he playing at sometimes and he takes great pleasure in catching erring students and give them nasty detentions for even the smallest of things. Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick. Iris is one of them and she had that luxury once, before running like hell for it lest she leads Filch to her.

Then there's magic. Latin words, wand waving and...that's it? No, Iris did that once, nothing happened in Charms. So she looked through her Charms Book and found a good tip...at the end of the book. To successfully cast a spell, one must know and understand the principles and workings of the spell. Upon doing so, they can do three steps. Visualize, charge wand, and actualize the spells as they shoot because just shooting magic and saying the words does nothing if one does not know how a spell works. Magic is just raw power, and magic ONLY happens if power is used along with the witch/wizard's imaginations on how a spell works. Combine both to actually cast a spell properly. By knowing that little tip, she knows she would do well.

They also have to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got  
up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Iris' name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. Professor McGonagall was again different. She wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. 'Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,' she said. 'Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.' Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.

After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Iris and Hermione Granger had made any difference to their match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave them a rare smile.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. Yeah right, as if. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. He's so cowardly, timid, stutters a lot, and someone like THIS teach an important subject?

Her first Friday came and Hedwig brought her parcels in a cardboard box. She requested complete information about her parents after all as the adults here could not be relied upon on. She has to pay outsiders for it. As a reward for her good work, Iris gave Hedwig a chunk of her hot dog and the snowy owl affectionately rubbed her head on her cheek, before taking away her prize for the school owlery.

Another owl however, fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto her plate. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

**Dear Iris,**  
**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have**  
**a cup of tea with me around three?**

**I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with**  
**the owl.**

**Hagrid**

She replied after taking out some parchment and writing materials and replied she'd come, while inwardly thinking this will be his last chance to prove himself reliable for her.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Iris' name.

Ah, Yes,' he said softly, 'Iris Potter. Our new - celebrity.' Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. 'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking,' he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had you caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. 'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'

Way to motivate your class, Iris thought sarcastically.

'Potter!' said Snape suddenly. 'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'

'The Draught of Living Dead.' Iris answered after standing up and looked at the Professor eye to eye just to prove she's not cheating. She has a feeling that this guy has somewhat something against her for some reason by how he sounded at her. Is this what they call kids inheriting sins of their parents or something?

'Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?'

'In the stomach of a Goat.'

'What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?'

'They are the same plant that is also known as Aconite and its roots are poisonous and it also happens to be a favorite murder weapon in the Muggle World since some Movies show usage of powdered Wolfsbane Extract.' said Iris. She got incredulous stares for this.

'Your...background seems questionable, since you seem to be watching TV shows not fit for children.' said Snape dryly. 'Sit down and three points for recitation.' Snape then put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils  
sprang up all over his arms and legs.

'Idiot boy!' snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. 'I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?' Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. 'Take him up to the hospital wing,' Snape spat at Seamus. The rest of the lesson had people sit on crossed legs on their chairs just incase another meltdown gone wrong occurred. Iris thought Potions is a hazardous magical cooking class wherein one step wrong, they could easily make 'mystery substance' that can screw them six ways to sunday if you're not careful.

She thus 'tiptoed on eggshells' while doing her work.


	6. Iris Potter

Iris Potter

At five to three Iris left for the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, 'Back, Fang. Back.' then Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. 'Hang on,' he said. 'Back, Fang.' He let her in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Several legs of Ham and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. 'Make yerself at home,' said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Iris and started licking her ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked, while he poured tea for her. 'So, how's yer firs' week?'

'I feel really violated.' Iris scowled. 'People ogle at me like I'm some museum showpiece, and I have zero privacy! They clearly don't know when to leave well enough alone and they seem to think, because I'm Iris Potter, my business is their business, I can hardly find a private place to study, it's annoying!' she growled, clearly irritated and upset with her week. 'Bloody brats, they clearly haven't learned manners well.'

'Now now, I'm sure the hype will die down next week.' said Hagrid kindly. 'It ain't everyday they see the girl who was the key that led to peace...at a high price.' he said softly.

'Yeah, my parents.' Iris grunted. 'How can people think I did it when my parents probably did most of the work before dying is beyond me. Who's the dumbass who said I, a few-months-old baby at the time, did it?'

'I dunno, when people got wind yer the only survivor with y-you-know-who's body dead at yer nursery, they began callin yeh 'girl-who-lived'.' he explained. 'And times back then are so dark, people will do anything to have a small light of hope. It was war years ago...people gettin' killed, people dunno who ter trust...dark times indeed.' said Hagrid with a shudder. 'I spent my years patrolling the school to protect the students and I got license to fight back by all means if them bad guys showed up.'

'Oh...by the way, can you tell me about my mother?' Iris asked him. 'I want to know her first.'

'Why's that?'

'Just wondering.' said Iris. 'My parents didn't die in a car crash...you said they were heroes.' this, is Hagrid's test. If he refuses to say what she wanted to know...

'Well, have ye gotten to know the Weasley Twins?' Hagrid asked her.

'Their reputation? Yes...?' Hagrid sighed fondly.

'I spent half me life chasin yer father and his three pals out of the Forbidden Forest when they wanna go fer an adventure. They were the twins times two.' he chuckled. 'I had ter deal with two generations of troublemaking pranksters. Yer dad and his pals, and then the twins. 'Yer father is popular for his good looks and known to be spoiled at home. Well, bein' the only child of his parents made them dote on him lots. Them purebloods are havin' trouble havin' kids lately.' he said. 'As for yer mother, she's one lovely lass. Red hair, unique green eyes that yeh also got...and very talented in Potions and Charms. She's also very kind to anybody but there's a catch, see?'

'A catch?' Iris blinked owlishly.

'Yeh...cross the line, and her good opinion of yeh is lost forever. Makes people often think they only have one chance.' Hagrid shrugged. 'And she has this uncanny talent in finding the best in others and bringing it out so a lot of people really like her, see? Heck, on her first year...up to sixth year, yer father pretty much spent loads of time tryin' to impress her, but it took him a long while to gain her attention. When they hit it off, they also followed the trend of marryin' after graduation because of the war. They also spent their wedded days in both fighting and hiding...until four years later...' he sighed gloomily. 'While I can tell yeh stories about yer father, given her younger days, yeh may wanna ask Snape. I hear they were childhood friends.'

And so, Hagrid told Iris about her father's younger days in Hogwarts...

xxx

Iris in her private time, read her father's family background in the Room of Requirement where she gets most of her privacy. Her father is from the Pureblood Potter Family that descended from the ancient Peverell Family and often married men and women of notable beauty. They stayed Pureblood...until James Potter married Lily Forvedge Evans, a half-magus half-human. She got his school records, OWL and NEWT results, as well as information on his career as an Auror for the Ministry. She then sent Professor Snape a letter requesting for desired information, before going back to her grandmother's diary.

The next lesson is about Mystic Eyes. She wasn't interested in it to be honest but she has to, incase she encounters someone who has eyes like this.

Following that is Psychics.

There is one thing she dreaded...as a Forvedge, the family has a long history of Psychic Trait in the synthetic Psychic Ability Maximized Synchronization, a unique form of Synchronization. It was one reason why a fallen family like the Forvedge can get easy chances to marry into high-ranking nobility in the Association and get connections. Because in the history of Forvedge, they used to have ten generations of marrying into the Zenjous when recent generations started to dwindle in Circuits, both in quality and quantity. At first that cured 'the disease' so they stopped marrying Zenjous and resumed marrying off cousins to one another. Five generations later, the Forvedge Ability of Synchronization that allows transfer of energy either by blood or sex, while the Zenjou ability maximizes the magical potential of partners and pedigree of children also through intercourse. Hence the two abilities merged and formed this new mutation.

But recently, the Forvedge blood started thinning after 500 years of success. Even the Zenjou, their relatives started thinning to the point that they have no more circuits. Thus the Forvedge also fell into ruin in the eyes of magi and became wealthy landowners instead until a prodigy in her grandmother, and her daughter and granddaughter.

Not that the Forvedges will ever know that. Next on the list is Conceptual Weapons. Things she can never have, so what's the point? Reality Marble is only possible if you have 'an inner world' to project to Reality and she doesn't have it. Next on the diary is about Gradation Air...a rather...very convenient spell and she could see possibilities, as well as Reinforcement and Structural Grasping. Followed by Chants and Incantations...then Akasha and Magicians, which took up about 1/4 of the diary.

After these concepts, she learned about Creatures next, Do's and Don'ts by the Magus Association, and known noble families. The details are summarized minutely and now, with this, 1/2 of the diary is used up.

Then what followed is Elemental Magic, Consecration and Elemental Training Methods with Christina advising that her heiress should create Elemental Spells unique only to them. Next is Geis, Transference of Consciousness, Mental Interference, Bounded Field Creation and Dismantlement as well as her Elementary knowledge on Eulyphis since she only stayed a year before deciding 'to hell with it all'. The Final Topic was the Forvedge Family Art of Earth Magic that involved flora because the family Element was somehow consistent in Earth and Water Element for many generations since their founding days and marrying a Zenjou did not change a thing. So Iris Consecrated herself...and yes, she got the trait..

And so, Hogwarts soon learned that the local celebrity is a very private person who spends most of her time in the library with a pile of books. She studies more than caring for her social life and the extent of this was she has trouble remembering the names of her peers and even what houses are they from even if they have house badges on their robes! But this paid off in her classwork wherein she could make practical spells effortless. And she seems to be rivaling the other first year genius, Hermione Granger who thinks her abilities are justified, given her history...bah, what would she know? She didn't know magic until she opened her grandma's diary and her schoolbooks!

She is also a frequent customer in the Infirmary, drinking potions for her bones, muscles, and even owl ordered skincare and haircare from Wonderwitch using her own name to be sure about the stuff she gets, are high-quality products.

She had confided to Madam Pomfrey her need to be healthy after what her relatives had done...and the angry Mediwitch called her Head of House regarding her case and one angry lioness, unbeknownst to the others, flew into a rage at the Headmaster who was the one who put her with the Dursleys...and upon gaining that knowledge, Iris made her contempt clear and when he said he would try to talk to the Dursleys, she laughed, calling him a 'naïve moron' much to the shock of the adults, as 'Zebras can't change stripes'. She cursed everything that made her related to the Dursleys and never once considered them family since they made it clear to her the day she could understand English.

She even said that whoever was dumb enough to leave her to such people, she dearly wished they would get cursed for eternity to their deaths as painfully slowly as possible for costing her, her childhood. She was never a child thus. Since she knows how to cook, clean, do the laundry and the gardens the painful way as she gets beatings and starved and thirsted for days for not doing it on unreasonable time limits, she would love to kill those responsible and flay them alive as well as other things she wished she could do making her murderous intent clear, shocking how deep her hatred and desire to kill ran.

While drinking her Health Potions, she did not notice the look on the Headmaster's face as McGonagall and the Nurse glared at him.

xxx

'See! See what you've done?!' McGonagall shrieked as they were away from the Infirmary. The two women harped on him while the Headmaster looked troubled. 'You said she'll be safe! She's safe from outside yes, but what about INside?!' she hollered in rage. 'I'd almost love to see the day what she'll do to _you_ when she finds out its all your fault!'

'Minerva, I truly wished the best for her and surely as an adult, Petunia changed...I guess I was wrong.' Dumbledore sighed morosely. 'She has only become worse.'

'If you really ARE sorry,' McGonagall sneered condescendingly in a mocking manner, 'Find her a new place now or certain details will reach the Ministry! I mean it! No child should have those kind of eyes at this age yet she has the eyes of a person really wanting to kill someone...YOU if she finds out! She can't now but in the near future, she will! Fix this now!'

'I-I'll see what I can do...in the meantime, we shall pay the Dursleys a visit this coming holidays.' the old Headmaster said softly as he began thinking what to do, about Iris Potter. A young girl who lived in pain and hate, and its indirectly his fault and her intent to avenge herself is clear. 'I really wish to see this with my own eyes.'


	7. The Informative Christmas

The Informative Christmas

A month has passed into the School Year. Soon, it'll be Halloween.

Flying lessons in the second week on Thursday wasn't much fun since Neville Longbottom caused quite a ruckus in flying lessons, and to save him from a bad fall, she was forced to draw attention to herself by using her witch magic to power up a Forvedge spell instead of using her prana. But she has to stop training for a few seconds to do this. She caused the well-trimmed lawn of the Pitch to rise, form a gigantic grassy arm to grab him off the rampant broom, before the arm bent to put Neville back down with specialized hand motions while the broom in question still moved on its own even without a rider and it flew away elsewhere.

'Ten points to Gryffindor for saving a student's life, and Twenty for a splendid show of rescue magic, Ms. Potter.' Madam Hooch sighed in relief as the giant grassy arm fell limply and lifelessly to the ground as a heap of extremely-long grass as its job is done. 'Longbottom, I told you-' she rounded on the frightened first year.

'It wasn't me!' Neville wailed. 'Its the broom! It moved on its own before I could kick off the ground!' he whimpered, still trembling and ashen faced in fear. 'I don't wanna fly anymore!' he cried in near hysterical fear someone has to snap him out of it.

'Someone take Longbottom to the Infirmary for a Calming Draught.' said Madam Hooch as it was clear it was not Neville's doing by his fear and panic. 'I need to supervise the lot of you so this doesn't happen again! And Ms. Potter, can you do something about the grass?' she asked Iris who looked like she got caught pranking.

'Er...I ran out of gas.' said Iris sheepishly. 'That took a lot out of me and I don't think I can cast spells today. And flying is out of the question either since I'm out of power.' she then hid the presence of prana in her body by suppressing herself as much as she could.

Everybody stared.

'Right...' said Madam Hooch wryly and she went to diagnose her with a few spells. 'You're close to burning out, so stay in the Infirmary with Longbottom and no magic for today either. Your housemates shall inform Professors Flitwick and McGonagall about your absence. You take Longbottom to the Infirmary.'

'Yes ma'am.' and the two left the Quidditch Pitch and her stunt is the talk of the day, while Madam Hooch later sent for Hagrid and Filch to 'mow the lawn', and Iris was absent for the rest of the day, only spending the whole Flying class in the Infirmary before leaving for the Room of Requirement to stay there till dinnertime...only to get owls saying she has homework to do and make-up classes that weekend to her dismay.

So much for her free time on a Saturday! Oh well...and the next Thursday, she could attend Flying Lessons again and Neville Longbottom was too traumatized to learn flying. Last they hear, he refused to step foot in the Quidditch Pitch, causing the poor kid to endure teasing from the Slytherins. And when Iris got the chance to fly...she found herself a natural at flying, she had the easiest time out of everyone...even those who bragged about their 'superior flying skills' and 'outflying Helicopters'.

Halloween came...and Iris inwardly snarled.

Her parents' death anniversary and the end of the War yet to most of these people, a day of fun, and Halloween sweets. Disgusted by immaturity and insensitivity, she chose to have dinner at the kitchens...

Blissfully unaware of what was transpiring upstairs. She found out the next day that a Troll got into Hogwarts and nearly killed Hermione Granger who spent a month in the Hospital Wing and her case was within Madam Pomfrey's abilities. Some girls vouched that she cried after Charms Class in the girls' bathroom-where the Troll struck so she didn't know either...and nearly died for it.

November passed by which was Quidditch Season.

She's not interested, and stayed indoors while everybody else left for the Pitch. She just couldn't see nor understand what was so interesting in Quidditch ANYWAY.

She spent her time in the Room of Requirement, training.

Her routine was research, study, and train. Because she wanted the six months over and done with. She also stayed over on Christmas and the next year after Christmas Break.

That Christmas, she received the family heirloom on a person who wanted to be anonymous, and failing miserably.

She knew its the Headmaster. The Potter Family Invisibility Cloak that will NOT work on or for anyone not a Potter by blood. And she's the last generation of Potter as if she marries, her children will have diluted Potter blood, or the father's blood will possibly overpower hers, making her children ineligible to inherit the cloak. She's the last user now. She would have to research a family in the Wizarding Community who are related to the Potters and have thick Potter blood through long history of marrying Potters. Otherwise, the Invisibility Cloak will rot in the family vaults forever when she's dead.

He would have gotten it after fishing her out of her house at Godric's Hollow and salvaged what's important.

Left it in his care, her ass.

No doubt its because it wouldn't work for him. If it did, Iris doubted she would never see the Cloak ever again. Using various scanning charms on the cloak, she found one Compulsion Charm to direct her to a certain room in the fourth floor. She removed the compulsion and put on the Cloak. Since it was broad daylight still, she went to see what was there. She removed the charms placed on the doorpost that detected entry before going in.

It was a large mirror.

However, it didn't show her face. It showed her what she wanted most.

Family. Her mother and father, and her grandparents. She has finally seen what Christina Forvedge finally looked like. Her grandmother...who died at her late twenties, since she ran away from home at 18 and then there's this _ten years later_. She has sandy-blonde hair and distinctively bright, silvery-gray eyes. Her grandfather has dark red hair and forest green eyes. Somehow, the eye color and distinctive brightness mixed in her mother and herself. Her grandparents died in their late twenties. And her own parents died...nine years younger.

Yep, her mother definitely did NOT look like Petunia. Her grandmother was beautiful, and so is she!

Her family is beaming and smiling...that made Iris' heart have dark thoughts.

She intends on avenging her family.

She saw what was on the mirror. And then she could read in backwards, 'I show not your face but your hearts desire'. She thought she can play this to her advantage.

She closed her eyes and put a strong desire in wanting to know how her parents were murdered by Voldemort and what happened afterwards. And a scene played before her eyes. The events that led to her parents' deaths...

She drank this in great detail and played it over and over again in her head...and she took advantage of the mirror for all its' worth. Her grandmother's life in a summarized version, and why and how her parents died, and what happened after that.

xxx

'Madam Pomfrey?' Iris asked Madam Pomfrey while she's there for her timely Health Potions. 'Who is the most reliable Government Official that deals with typical police cases, AND enough authority for trials?'

'What brought this on, Ms. Potter?' Madam Pomfrey asked her curiously.

'I discovered something very concerning, but I want it to be between just the three of us.' said Iris. 'Can I trust you NOT to tell anyone outside this Infirmary? The less who knows, the better. Just three of us. You, me and this person in the Government.' she growled while shaking in anger.

'Is it about the Dursleys?'

'No. Far worse. And I know as a First Year, I can't go to Hogsmeade yet but this meeting is very important to me I want to break one rule just this once. While its still a few days before Christmas.' said Iris. 'And is there magic that can possibly show my memories to other people? For me that's Testimony enough.'

'People can extract memories, and then play the memories in a pensieve Ms. Potter.' said Madam Pomfrey. 'I can see this really matters to you a lot...but I can't sneak you out of school.'

'I have a way. All I need is for you to act natural as you go out.' said Iris softly. 'So who is this person I can really count on?'

'That would be Madam Amelia Bones.' said Madam Pomfrey. 'She's the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. And she can push for a trial when she arranges it with the Wizengamot when she has enough material.'

'I see. I'll be mailing the good woman then. She will meet with us when its convenient for her. We will move depending on her movements.' said Iris as she began to look calculative. 'I have hope for a decent family and this trial will be the key. I have a decent relative elsewhere.'

xxx

DMLE...

Madam Bones was doing her paperwork when a beautiful snowy-white owl dropped a letter on her, and perched on the edge of the table.

"Clearly waiting for a reply, this one." she thought as she took the envelope, checked it for spells and opened it...and she's surprised to get a letter from the girl-who-lived no less as she saw the words, 'From Iris Potter' on the folded paper inside the Envelope.

**To Madam Bones,**

**Before I get to the point, I would like to tell you how exactly, I got there.**  
**You see, at Christmas, I received the Potter Family Heirloom, the Potter**  
**Family Invisibility Cloak I heard about from the Goblins, unique as it ONLY**  
**works for Potters. And it was anonymously delivered to me. Yeah, right, as if.**  
**I knew its the Headmaster who sent me this cloak as a Christmas Gift but it**  
**was charmed with a Compulsion Charm to go to a disused classroom on the**  
**Fourth Floor. I removed the charm, and went there anyway wearing it. On the**  
**door is also a charm to detect entry, I got rid of it too. There, in that empty room,**  
**Is a huge, antique full-body mirror wherein on the frame, I saw the words**  
**inscribed on the frame, reading, _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.**

**Backwards, it reads, _I show you not your face but your hearts desire._ So I played**  
**with the mirror. I wanted to see my whole family...my parents and grandparents.**  
**My grandparents from the Potter side who are...justifiably elderly while my maternal**  
**grandparents...died in their late twenties. And I got the history as to WHY but let's**  
**not let that out of Pandora's Box just yet. We're aiming for the history of what led to**  
**my parents' deaths. Indeed, that mirror showed my heart's desire. INFORMATION!**  
**And we have a rat bastard enjoying a cushy life somewhere while an innocent man**  
**languished in prison for a crime HE DID NOT DO but this bastard framed him for it**  
**and got chucked to prison without a trial. I was like, what the hell, government? I want**  
**you to get the information I obtained after we have a talk in Hogsmeade in a day at**  
**you're most free, as in no work, yet within the timeframe of Christmas Break because**  
**this is my only chance to sneak to you my memories. And this will be the one time I**  
**will break a rule as this really means much to me...and this person in prison.**

**We will meet at a date you wish to set where you're at your most free(as in no work,**  
**reports, etc) before or after Christmas. And as consideration for everyone, I will also**  
**have you decide when to strike since December up to New Year's Eve is Family Time.**  
**I look forward to meeting you. Please send a reply with Hedwig and DO NOT write your**  
**name on the envelope. I don't want your answer to fall into the wrong hands and as**  
**a celebrity, people seem to think my business is theirs and I have no right to privacy.**  
**I was like, what the hell, people? Maybe I shoulda chosen a school in another country...**

**I. Potter**

**P.S- Check yourself for spells before going out. Hell, I got a cloak with a Compulsion to**  
**make me see that mirror and who knows what else, since I removed it.**


	8. The Talk

The Talk

Madam Bones read the letter at least three times to let it sink in.

This is a case of serious miscarriage of justice. The truth about the Potters, Sirius Black and whoever framed him. Then there's another case...as to why her maternal grandparents died in their late twenties, leaving Lily Evans alive and most likely, orphaned at a young age. This also got her thinking. Then who are Mr. and Mrs. Evans? Last she checked, when she informed the families of Lily's death, the couple was in their late fifties in Cokeworth(and she had to rush them to the hospital because Mr. Evans got cardiac arrest from shock while Mrs. Evans fainted). This also means, that whoever Iris was saddled with people not even her real relatives.

Lily Potter is adopted and most likely, her parents are killed, giving rise to questions about her blood status. She had gone to the bank as an official to ask about Lily Potter's blood status.

And it was a 'need not to know case unless authorized by family' as Lily got wind of the truth when she was 17. Thus Madam Bones questioned if she's pure or half, not muggle-born as she left the bank with Hedwig. So she sent a reply with Hedwig, before visiting Azkaban, for a private chat with Sirius Black the next day at 26 as today is still work day even if it's only half-day for her grrr department EVEN IF ITS CHRISTMAS. Any official HATED this place because it's so cold because of the Dementors, and the stench of the place. Its a place of punishment after all, it has to be dark, cold, Dementors and filthy. It thus stinks...of human waste as people who lost their sanity...tended to soil themselves. The last place she wanted to visit on Christmas, and she'd rather spend it with her niece which was why she went the next day early morning.

'Black, are you still sane in there?' she called out to the man...who is doing crosswords on the Prophet, making her do a double-take.

'Sane?' Sirius chuckled. 'Of course I'm sane. I got my ways. So here to FINALLY give me a very-late trial, Amelia?' indeed, he's sane.

'I got some questions to ask.' said Madam Bones. 'Iris Potter wrote to me regarding what she discovered about the deaths of Lily and James Potter.' she said. 'And she knows of 'one innocent man in prison' while a 'rat bastard is living a cushy life somewhere'.' at this, Sirius rushed to the barred doors of his cell, gripping the bars in excitement.

'Really?! She found out the truth?!' Sirius asked in delight. 'Clever, clever girl!' he cried in happiness and Amelia knew relief when she sees one. 'She knows I'm Innocent!'

'So who is this...rat bastard in the letter she sent me?' Madam Bones questioned him.

'You may not believe me now but if Iris gives you the same name, it's the truth!' Sirius cried as he shook the barred doors in desperation. 'It's Peter! Peter Pettigrew!' Madam Bones' eyebrows rose. 'Do you seriously believe that one whole, clean cut finger and so-called 'nothing left' is a result of a Blasting Curse? Oh, come on!' he snorted. 'That usually results in a bloody mess if used on a human! Yet that finger you found is a perfect cut-off like cut with a knife because he used a severing charm on his finger, and blasted the street to escape to the sewers as a rat! THINK about it Amelia! Peter Pettigrew is a RAT animagus missing a finger! And Iris knows where he is if you met up and talked!'

Amelia got blindsided. Then all things considered, a point-blank Blasting Curse would indeed be a messy death yet they found a perfectly cut finger and nothing else? The trials after the deaths of the Potters is a hastily rushed-up affair. Suspects are thrown in prison. Actual criminals are thrown in prison and now, finally, someone got thrown without a trial.

'Yes, she did mention wanting to meet me at least once.' said Madam Bones, frowning. 'In fact, I am going to meet her. She discovered the whole truth using...unconventionally unusual, yet still legal resources.' she coughed. 'And I am to meet her to get the full details. But I want to hear YOUR point of view. IF it matches with her story...I WILL push for your trial as she has concrete hard evidence. And said evidence made me want to bang my head on the desk.' she said irritably. 'Because why didn't I think of the same thing...years ago?'

'Er...evidence? Sirius blinked owlishly.

'I won't speak of it here.' said Amelia. 'Its a security risk...but one final question...how did you stay sane for eleven years? Hell, you're doing crosswords!' he looked at the Daily Prophet on the floor next to the pile-of-straw that serves as the prisoners' beds.

'I'm thinking for many years I'm Innocent, and my years' worth of hatred against Pettigrew. He is what his form represents...a rat who ratted out Lily and James to their deaths and for my unjust imprisonment! I also want to flay Crouch alive for chucking me to prison without a trial while every Death Eater got a damn trial! Moreover, he did it to look good to the public to become Minister!' said Sirius venomously. 'The only good thing that came out of it is his damn son outed as a Death Eater so he never got that privilege. Those aren't exactly happy thoughts the Dementors can't suck from me. If they can't suck happy thoughts, they can't bring out my nightmares to drive me nuts. I've been living in hate for years. That's how I got by.' he said cockily in a rather arrogant manner.

'Just don't get chucked to prison again legally this time by killing Crouch.' Amelia grunted. 'I AM trying to get you out of here by ensuring that trial you know!'

'Oh by the way, the others are doing the same thing I did.' Sirius chuckled. 'Dear ol' Bella figured out my trick, maybe you should tweak the Security a bit. She's the last person we want sane while her hubby and brother-in-law is somewhat manageable.'

And after that Amelia left while 'adjusting' security on Sirius' advice.

xxx

December 26, morning(it takes that long to reach Hogwarts in Scotland as well as fly to London), Iris got an owl back from Madam Bones sent on Christmas that she tucked into her robes while eating breakfast. After eating her breakfast, she went to a disused classroom to read the letter.

**Dear Ms. Potter,**

**I am open on December 29...and I will have a little chat with**  
**Sirius Black in Azkaban at 26 as 25 is family day. Once I have**  
**this chat with him, I shall see you at December 29. Is there**  
**details of other concern? I will meet you at Hog's Head in  
Disguise and as you hate your fame, I advise you to do the same  
or go invisible. I will be there around 8 pm.**

**M. A. Bones.**

**P.S- I will be dressed as a typical muggle gypsy fortuneteller.**

Iris replied back.

She replied back, grateful for her time.

At home at the Bones' Family Manor around night...

**Madam Bones,**

**I'll go invisible. Disguise Charms are 4th Year Material so I can't do it yet.**  
**Much safer too. I will come with Madam Pomfrey since she agreed to go**  
**with me. We really should be in a private place in Hog's Head. I mean, it'll**  
**be weird if you're with Madam Pomfrey and hearing a kid's voice? Fortune**  
**Teller eh? I guess we gotta pretend Madam Pomfrey uh...wants er advice?**  
**Somehow, even I don't believe what I'm saying...everyone's motto seems**  
**to be 'when in doubt, ask someone older' and who's older than the Faculty?  
**

**We will be there on time after dinner. I request that we're in a private  
corner. No windows and we can see everyone to make sure nobody's getting  
near so a...transaction can be made. I will give you my memories as you'll  
understand half of it better than I did. Stupid mirror, I wish it came with  
sounds while showing me events. At least it gave names while giving me a show.  
**

**I. Potter**

Its settled.

And so...on the Promised Day, at 8 pm...Madam Pomfrey arrived, dressed in casual, winter clothes. Behind her is Iris in an Invisibility cloak she secured with pins and a cord around her neck so it won't fall off that easily.

'I'm here.' said Madam Pomfrey as she sat.

'Good.' said Madam Bones. 'We will begin.'

'Yes...you said you talked to Sirius Black, right?' Iris asked her. 'How is he?'

'I'm sure you've heard of Azkaban from Madam Pomfrey.' said Madam Bones and she could imagine the girl nodding. 'While I got his statement, I want to hears yours to see if it matches, meaning, you're saying the truth. You obviously can't send owls as the Dementors will devour its soul. Azkaban allows no outside communications by Owls. Only personal visits so they can keep track.'

'Yes and I love my Hedwig to let her be monster food.' Iris sighed. 'I'll tell you what I saw in the Mirror of Desire. But because there's no sounds included to my annoyance, I'll tell you what I can make out of it at least.'

She relayed the tale of her parents, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew...from the making of a 'special barrier' that somehow made them to outsiders...then two betrayals occurred that night. Selling her parents to HIM, and framing Sirius for a crime Peter committed after Sirius reluctantly gave her to Hagrid because Hagrid came on Dumbledore's orders to get her before chasing Peter in wanting to kill him for his betrayal.

'I will give you my memories for you to understand better. I just don't understand that complicated barrier and why an address had to do with it.' Iris sighed. 'All I know is my family is betrayed twice. And I know where that son of a bitch IS.' she growled. 'In fact, if we do this right, he's easily accessible!'

'You mean it's THAT easy to find HIM?' Madam Bones sputtered out. 'How?!'

She then felt warm breath by her ear, and hissed out,

'He's Ronald Weasley's damn pet rat, Scabbers. And conveniently, half the Weasley brood is in school because their mum and younger sister visited a guy named Charlie in Romania.'

'Y-you're near him...all this time?' Madam Bones choked shakily as she trembled in disbelief. The true traitor of the Potters is more often than not, sitting near Iris Potter as Weasleys have been Gryffindors for Generations!

'I had to try NOT to throttle Ron Weasley for his pet rat.' said Iris wryly. 'My self-control is getting less and less since learning the truth. So who are the members of Wizengamot NOT in Dumbledore's pockets?' Madam Bones raised an eyebrow at this. 'Let's just say I'm not very happy with him right now. And if he knows this first, he goddamn well stall the trial just to force me to stay with the people who made my life hell for ten and a half years, and still think they can do no wrong!' she growled. 'Goddamn bastard, I'd declare Blood Feud if I have to but I can only do that at 17 where I'm Lady Potter by then!' she spat in her rage while Madam Pomfrey sighed. Madam Bones the Matron knew the full details...

'I'd love to hear more of that.'

xxx

Amelia Bones got more than what she bargained for. In her possession are two very precious memories in bottles. Iris Potter's Childhood and the information she needed to clear Black. Now she has some people to arrange a meeting with by sending them owls on the guise of inviting them to tea...and she showed them what she wanted them to see. That, and she swore an oath that she got Sirius' statement first before talking to Iris, and their statements matched. She even showed her memories of her Azkaban visit to the elders she talked with.

Then she showed them Iris' memories of her life...


	9. Steps

Steps

They planned this for several weeks...and then a Daily Prophet Outline shook the whole community that February 25.

**TRIAL OF THE CENTURY: EVIDENCES OF SIRIUS BLACK'S INNOCENCE!**  
**NOT JUST THAT, MUGGLES WILL BE TRIED ON THE WIZENGAMOT FOR THE FIRST TIME!**

This caused the whole hall to go abuzz as the trial is soon to commence which got the whole hall buzzing.

In the Great Hall, Iris smirked as Dumbledore left the Great Hall hastily. Even if he tried to stop it, he no longer can. She(while chaperoned by the Matron on some occasions) and Madam Bones planned everything for weeks to make sure Dumbledore gets to know LAST. And then there's the Prophet...

'Hey Potter, I haven't seen Scabbers for weeks now since you borrowed him from me.' said Ronald Weasley, approaching her when breakfast ended...and people have never seen her smile so maliciously with that smile putting a sinister dark sight on her good looks. 'H-hey, don't tell me you fed him to a cat?!' he sputtered out warily while slowly going white from possibilities that may be...fatal to an old rat.

'No...but something far better.' Iris chuckled sinisterly as she took out a red pouch from her pocket and gave it to him. 'Once the second Prophet comes out, you'll know why you'll never see your pet ever again. So as compensation for your loss, I shall personally finance your new pet if you wish as you unwittingly made things very easy and convenient for me. Long story short, read the prophet when the Trial is over. See you later.' she left the dumbfounded Weasley and some people behind her as she skipped out of the hall with her bag, chuckling.

'...what's Scabbers got to do with the trial?' he said weakly and numbly, while eyeing a small red pouch that has a yellow string, and the symbol of Gringotts in it.

'Evidence, duh.' said one of the Weasley twins and nobody can EVER tell who's Fred and who's George. 'Maybe Scabbers can do something but how is he related to the news?'

'No idea mate, but judging by the smile on her face, it ain't pretty. Did you just see her smile? It's scary.' said Lee Jordan with a shudder. 'That smile is just wrong, you know? By the way Ron, how much did she give you?' he asked the youngest Weasley brother who was still in shock, and by talking to him, he had 'brought him down to earth'.

'I don't know, I didn't get to count yet!' Ron sputtered out. 'I'll count it later!' sure he thinks of Scabbers as an old and useless pet rat but its something he got from Percy so he has some attachment to it but hey, he's getting a new pet and someone else technically paid for it! Judging by how fat the small pouch looked, it's...quite a lot.

'I got a feeling she has something to do with this.' said Snape wryly at the Staff Table before the teachers left for class.

'Well, she's certainly gloating about it and its the first time I've seen her smile even if...like that.' said Flitwick, looking clearly disturbed. 'She has no expression most of the time. What do muggles call it? Oh yes, Poker Face.'

'Well what baffles me is why would Muggles be tried for the first time in the Wizengamot? It's never been done before.' said Madam Pince. 'And it makes things interesting.'

xxx

Because Iris was underage, she could not be at the Courtroom, no exceptions. The most she could do, was fork up her memories, and help financing a 'certain something' to make the Trial possible even if she cannot be there to give a statement. All she could do now, was wait.

At the Wizengamot Courtroom...

There's a huge oblong Pensieve in the middle of a courtroom.

'We are now here for the Trial of Sirius Black! We request for order and respect in the court!' Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge cried. 'According to records, he never got a trial in 1981 while all other Death Eaters got trials. Something that was ignored as much to our...mistake, and determination to put an end to the war, it was a hastily rushed-up affair.' he coughed awkwardly. 'Thus the Ministry has admitted to committing a mistake; we put an innocent man behind bars with no chance to prove his innocence, and we put the Head of a Noble House no less, in Azkaban without a trial. Now, we have concrete hard evidence to prove he is innocent...provided by none other than Iris Potter herself.'

The courtroom broke out in whispers, while Dumbledore wondered what evidence did she give and what's with the huge modified pensieves below?

'Ms. Potter wanted one thing nobody ever gave her...information.' said a witch. 'Information about her family. When she talked to the first wizarding person she met, Rubeus Hagrid who chaperoned her for her first shopping to Diagon Alley, he is quite tight-lipped about it. All he ever said to her was that 'she has her father's hair and her mother's eyes', and very minimal details that left her frustrated as she grew up knowing nothing, and lies spouted by her muggle relatives, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.' she said tightly, 'She was told her whole life that her parents are good-for-nothing, jobless bums who died in a car crash'. And for asking questions, she gets a beating, and tossed in her bedroom for ten and a half years...a filthy cupboard under the stairs.'

Dumbledore had underestimated the lengths of Iris Potter's hatred if she could arrange this and sentence her own relatives and skillfully earned the sympathy and support of the public. And he never thought that they could actually say those things to a child either, meaning...

It was all true.

'WHAT?!'

'THOSE LITTLE!'

'HOW DARE THEY RUIN THE HEROIC POTTER FAMILY WITH SUCH DRIVEL?!'

'THOSE FILTHY MUGGLES DARE LAY THEIR HANDS ON A NOBLE?!'

'ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT!' Madam Bones yelled while banging the gavel to call attention. 'Continue, Madam Blishwick.' she nodded to the woman who began talking again.

'Ahem, I shall continue.' said Madam Blishwick. 'I am Ms. Potter's representative in the court as by law, underaged witches and wizards cannot step into the courtroom. So Iris Potter began looking for ways to gather information as to her frustration, nobody would give her details now that a lot of people are saying the same thing, and her relatives are liars. Cruel liars.' she grunted. 'Why do they ruin the good name of a child's parents to the child themselves is beyond the pale, especially two people whose deaths ended the terror of the First Wizarding War. And then on Christmas, she finally struck gold. She found an artifact called the Mirror of Erised in a disused classroom on the Fourth Floor of Hogwarts and common knowledge is that teachers tended to bring back...souvenirs from their travels. Upon seeing how the mirror works, Ms. Potter at first, wanted to see her family and what they look like.' she said a bit shakily. 'That was the first time she ever saw her parents.'

'She never saw a photo whatsoever...and at the mirror, she finally saw what Lily and James Potter looks like, as well as her parents and grandparents from both sides who she hopes, loves her as she is surrounded by pain and hate. While normally, children grew up loved and happy, she grew up knowing hatred, pains from beatings, starvation and thirst, knowing how to do household chores through unreasonable punishments and isolation as apparently, the Dursleys told everyone in the neighborhood that she is an uncontrollable delinquent brat they took in out of kindness,' she scoffed. 'In order to turn the neighbors against her, tell their kids to avoid her further isolating her. None of us thought that the girl-who-lived, lived in such deplorable conditions. Being an abused House Elf aside, she is also forbidden to excel at school and be better than their son, Dudley Dursley or else, get another beating to the point that she will miss school for a month! Monsters, that's what they are!' Madam Blishwick cried. 'And the person responsible for putting Iris Potter to such monsters is none other than the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore himself!'

All eyes fell on the Headmaster who looked his age.

'What do you say for yourself, Albus?!' Madam Marchbanks screeched angrily. 'How dare you?!'

'I did it for the greater good, Griselda.' said Albus softly and tiredly. 'Had I given her to a wizarding family to be cared for, dangerous possibilities will happen. Knowing of who she is, she will be raised with a big head, grow up the 'bad spoiled' kind, and along with the privilege of being her magical guardian, get access to her money in Gringotts. I cannot let that happen. And while I DO know some good families, all of us are in mourning and in no condition to even take in an infant as the people I knew of...lost their children. By giving them the baby Iris, it would just further cause them pain. So I took Iris to Lily's surviving relative, Petunia. I had hoped that Petunia grew up and grew out of her jealousy at Lily but I am proven wrong by hearing this from you and have caused a young girl pain. And she knew it was me.' he chuckled sadly. 'She made her hatred of Petunia's family and hatred of me clear to me. I cost her a childhood and a chance to live a normal life which I originally intended for her to have...but in the end, Petunia never grew up. I got too confident that she would mature and love Iris because had the situations reversed, Lily would have loved Dudley.'

'But the matter of fact is, the damage is already done.' said Madam Marchbanks. 'That girl never had a childhood nor never knew what love, kindness and tenderness is! She can only dream of it and grew up in pain and hate! You have a lot to answer for this!' she snapped. 'Continue Madam Blishwick!'

'My client Ms. Potter has used unconventionally unexpected means to get her information. The appearances of her family who she hoped, loves her, she also focused on another thing...what happened that night...and in a person's third point of view, she saw everything from the mirror, her second desire. The truth that led to the betrayal and murder of the Potters. And before we watch the memories she has given us, there is ONE condition!' said Madam Blishwick. 'All of us must surrender our wands, and put it in this box.' she took out a box. 'To prevent tampering on the pensieve. No wand, no viewing.'

'Isn't this a bit much, Madam Blishwick?' Tiberius Ogden asked her incredulously.

'My client is that paranoid.' said Madam Blishwick snippily. 'And for further security measure, these modified pensieves she personally paid for has built-in defenses that can detect magic, pinpoint and shoot the caster before he or she can cast a spell at it while in use! Surrender your wands and we will soon know the truth about the Potter Tragedy. Although what we see is soundless as the Mirror of Erised never provided sounds as she watched. Wands over!'

When wands are handed over, they finally got to view the Halloween 1981 Tragedy. What led to it, how it happened, and aftermath. Court included, and then Iris' delivery to the Dursleys. The finale was Peter Pettigrew fleeing, until he reached the Burrow, the Weasley Family home as a rat, tired and fatigued wherein he was found by a young Percy Weasley, and ask his mother if he could keep the rat. And Peter Pettigrew lived the life of a pet rat since. And as a rat, he is missing a toe, representing his missing finger as a human. And the Weasley family never ever knew they have a Death Eater in the House!

'I don't think we even need to talk to Black and Pettigrew after watching that!' the Court Scribe choked out shakily as Wizengamot Members and a team of three from the Daily Prophet.

'Bring in Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew!' Fudge demanded, banging his own gavel as a team of Aurors brought in the two marauders. Sirius looking well-groomed and clean but not quite healthy, and Peter Pettigrew in magical restraining shackles. Sirius looked like a hyena zeroing in on prey and Peter cowering because he got outed.

'Hurry up, we can hardly restrain Black from killing him, Minister!' one of the Aurors grumbled.

'We will first sentence Peter Petigrew.' said Fudge as they delivered the verdict...

Next, was the Dursleys who were terribly afraid.

They were having a peaceful family luncheon when 'the freaks' barged in and forcefully took them from their home, and put them in a cell and they knew VERY WELL why...


	10. Illusions Shattered

Illusions Shattered

Indeed, that afternoon on that same day, chaos occurred in Wizarding Britain when the Evening Prophet SPECIAL EDITION was delivered. At that same time, many Ministry Officials came to the school and headed for the stairs while the students headed to the Great Hall for dinner and for said Prophet that is...unusually thick.

SPECIAL EVENING EDITION- a label ONLY used when something very newsworthy or a scandal is good enough to have this on the heading of the newspaper.

With good reason.

On bold on page one was:

**HALLOWEEN 1981: TRAGEDY OF THE POTTERS!**  
**THE TRUTH HOW LILY AND JAMES MET THEIR END**

**TRUE TRAITOR EXPOSED! PETER PETTIGREW ALIVE**  
**AND PRETENDING TO BE A PET RAT WHILE SIRIUS**  
**BLACK LANGUISHED IN AZKABAN FOR A CRIME HE WAS**  
**FRAMED FOR! SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT ALL ALONG!**

**DUMBLEDORE: HORRIBLE JUDGE OF CHARACTER,**  
**IRIS POTTER'S HELLISH AND PAINFUL CHILDHOOD AS A RESULT!**

**LILY POTTER'S OLDER SISTER PETUNIA DURSLEY NEE' EVANS**  
**A TRUE GREEN-EYED MONSTER! THE REASON SHE AND HER HUSBAND**  
**ABUSED AND MISTREATED THEIR NIECE!**

**ANTI-MUGGLE SENTIMENTS ROSE! PROTECTION OF MUGGLEBORNS  
AGAINST THEIR OWN MUGGLE RELATIVES ON CHECK IF THEY TOO,  
SUFFERED SIMILAR FATE AS IRIS POTTER**

**ILLEGAL ANIMAGUS LAWS GOT EVEN STRICTER!**

As if in synchronization, the whole Great Hall gasped and dove into their Prophets, dinner forgotten for the time being...and all of a sudden, it clicked.

Iris Potter wasn't anti-social and snobby as they all thought...she never knew how to be a child all along nor what it was like to have friends, joke around and be happy. Such things are an alien concept for her. Things she'll never understand since nobody was ever kind, friendly and caring to her.

It wasn't surprising that Iris was not at the Great Hall for dinner, she's at the kitchens, reading her own copy delivered by Hedwig, and gloating.

Her so-called aunt and uncle were the first-ever muggles in the history of Wizarding Britain to grace Azkaban. And they get first-class treatment. They are made to clean Azkaban on unreasonable set times. If not, they get a beating and withheld food and water. And said food...is just half a glass of water and stale bread. And given Vernon's attitude, he'll get more than just beatings and the Dementors will make sure Vernon doesn't get out of punishment THAT easily by ensuring their presence does not cause Cardiac Arrest and die his way out of punishment. They are in there for ten and a half years. And Pettigrew was put in a cell with ten Dementors on guard, in prison for life for his crimes. With them as his constant companions, he is being slowly driven insane by their effects, and the freezing cold.

In the Great Hall, the Weasley Brothers went pale with shock. Same goes for Molly and Ginny Weasley in the Burrow, and Arthur Weasley at work(he had to be given a Calming Draught as he was hysterically in fright). Percy even more so as he and Ron unwittingly cared for a Death Eater in disguise that they went into hysterics and had to be carted off for a Calming Draught. The twins were petrified in shock as they realized why their brother was given...500 Galleons and 50 Sickles which is too much for a pet replacement. Because this shock is so bad he really could use the money to cheer himself up.

Dumbledore barely managed to save face in the Ministry from the chaos the trial caused...but it'll take him a while to regain trust back while Sirius Black went in hiding to restore his health before school let out for him to take Iris home and give her a life she should have had as a child.

Since then, Iris found herself with people trying to befriend and teach her things to her disbelief...and next thing the staff knew, everyone seemed to have adopted the girl as a 'little sister'...though it took them quite the effort to melt her hardened heart. But another thing they learned...was not to underestimate her as she is perfectly capable of ruining lives if she was ever angered now that she has the power to, and she ruined almost four. As for the Weasleys, the trauma Arthur Weasley suffered from having a Death Eater and danger in the house near his children for eleven years had to be sent home on paid vacation leave until he recovers. He also got Pettigrew's money in his vaults which was the man's intended retirement savings, a whopping 20000 Galleons and 9000 Sickles.

Needless to say, the Weasleys will be in luxury for a short while. And they need it bad.

Iris had to deal with doing Mana Training for a whole year as nobody left her alone!

As for Quirrellmort...he found Iris Potter's story interesting. They share a similar hatred of muggles given their backgrounds, they share the pragmatic means to achieve their ends and skillfully used her fame to this ending. But what intrigued him was her use of the Mirror of Erised. He never thought it can be used THAT way. But the Ministry has confiscated the artifact and is now somewhere hidden due to the many possibilities he can think of: information.

Dammit, he could have done the same thing to look for the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, blast that old fool! In the meantime, Dumbledore knew he could not test Iris and have her meet HIM in order to 'train her' as they are on shaky grounds and she despised him with a passion.

That end of the year, Quirinus Quirrell 'expired'.

xxx

'So Iris, how's life since life changed?' Madam Pomfrey asked her over tea.

'Things really changed.' said Iris. 'Everyone stopped treating me like a celebrity. They started being really nice all of a sudden.' she said with a pink tinge in her cheeks. 'It feels really weird to have an ideal world for a change. A world where everyone is kind to me for once.'

'Now now, it'll take quite a while to adjust, and slow and steady works better than hastily-rushed things.' Madam Pomfrey quipped. 'However still, look after yourself. Find really good friends who will not hurt you.' she advised. 'There are many types of friends in this world and to find really good friends, its a trial-and-error thing that sometimes, you have to get hurt to truly see who your true friends are. Everyone goes through that.'

'Oh...'

'Well, Sirius will be at the Hogsmeade Station to pick you up.' said Madam Pomfrey. 'Have you packed your belongings yet?'

'Yes!' Iris beamed. 'I'm actually looking forward to go home for a change!'


	11. Normalcy? What's that?

Normalcy? What's that?

The year ended without a hitch.

Iris is actually looking forward to go home for the first time, as she looked around for her godfather who should be easy to spot due to his...unfortunate unhealthy state.

'Iris!' Iris' ears perked up and her eyes zeroed in on her godfather, Despite his state, he still dressed well as expected of him as a noble. But at least, his state improved...somewhat. But its not that easy to regain the loss weight and muscle mass in a matter of months. She would know best. She's been on various Health Care Potions and she has to do one more year to at least, look...normal.

'So...Sirius, right?' Iris asked Sirius a bit rather...nervously. Understandable.

'Who else I'd be, kiddo?' Sirius chuckled. 'I found us a nice home somewhere! You'll like it there!' he said as they boarded the train and had a compartment to themselves. 'How's life in Hogwarts? I hope you had fun like we did when we were your age.' he said, beaming. Iris snorted and shook her head.

'Sirius...I never knew what fun is, remember?' she said softly. 'And I isolated myself since I don't know what its like to be a child. I was a servant my whole life.' Sirius cringed at this. 'But since the Special Prophet came out, everyone started teaching me things I should have known as a child. Its still foreign and still has yet to sink in me.' she said sheepishly. 'Kindness, friendship...stuff like that.'

'Oh...well, we always take baby steps, nothing should be rushed.' said Sirius. 'So where do you wanna go first?'

'British Library or a Bookstore.'

'Eh?' Sirius did a double-take. He didn't quite expect that.

'I hate the greasy and oily foods at Hogwarts, however delicious they are.' Iris grunted. 'There are times I had trouble breathing with all that grease down my throat while running for the next class and to think I had great stamina.' she grumbled. 'So I'll take many cookbooks and learn healthy dishes for all our sakes.' she deadpanned. 'And the two of us are still-recovering, unhealthy people we really shouldn't eat that junk anymore.'

'I suppose...so I guess I leave it to you about our groceries then?' Sirius suggested. 'We have a House Elf in our new residence, Dewy. I'll leave it to you to teach him.'

'OK...'

'Well, I'll tell you stories about us in our younger days...' and Sirius did not hold back because its what she hated.

xxx

Several Hours Later, they arrived to a very familiar place. Godric's Hollow.

But...

'We're not using...my family's house?' Iris blinked owlishly as they passed it by in fact!'

'No...security risk and everyone is thinking that I renovated the house for our use.' said Sirius. 'I did but we're not living in it. It's for your future use when you're an adult.' he said softly. 'But for now...we're here to visit their graves.' Iris' eyes widened at this.

Her parents' graves.

She was close to losing her composure, and seeing this, Sirius gave her a comforting hug. 'Come on kiddo, let's see em' for the first time in 11 years.' he said softly. 'This is also my first time since I've been in prison and I want us to see it together.' he then led her to the graveyard where they went to the magical section or as Sirius Called it, 'Old Families' Section.

'Its unusual for graves of witches and wizards to be among humans.' Iris commented thoughtfully as they walked into the cemetery.

'Well, we have to live alongside em'.' said Sirius. 'Let's face it pup, we're outnumbered by them ten to one. We have to coexist or else we have nowhere to go. That didn't suit well with my blood purist family though, and tried to make Muggle-Hunting a sport in a bid to reduce numbers.' he snorted. 'Passing that bill failed of course, as its a crime to humanity and good thing it failed. Do you see why?' he asked her in bemusement as the little girl looked thoughtful.

'It'll be because in time, we'll be exposed.' said Iris. 'The increasing number of murders will get the attention of the world on us and investigate, going as far as developing surveillance technology wizards know nothing about. And if they are recorded using magic, we'll be outed.' she explained. 'And unlike the wizarding community, information in the Muggle World spreads like fire on oil faster than we can stop it because of Internet and the Media.'

'Good girl. Although back in my youth, such conveniences did not exist.' Sirius sighed. 'Hence the murders that skyrocketed in the war so no doubt Muggle Britain wised up by now. And I heard of these satellite thingies...'

'...'

'So I heard from Amelia about something interesting too.' said Sirius. 'And we both think...that Mr. and Mrs. Evans aren't really Lily's Parents. You know something about that?' he asked her. 'I've seen those two nice elderly folks on Lily's wedding, but they look nothing alike.'

'I do. But let's not talk about that in a place like this.' said Iris. 'Its very dangerous...for me at least. So Bookstores in London it is then?'

'Bookstores it is.' and with that, Iris chose cookbooks by skimming through them first, before buying them if she finds dishes that use less oil and less fattening. So she bought cookbooks of Grecian, Mediterranean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese and Japanese Cuisine and then gave it to Dewy for study. And at home, they enjoyed their final English Dinner as tomorrow, food will definitely change.

'Hey Sirius, can we practice magic at home?' Iris asked her godfather after dinner.

'Well, we can.' said Sirius. 'Pureblood and Half-blood children who have no muggle relatives can freely do so, provided they're under adult supervision.' he said. 'Muggleborns on the other hand, can't as its a security risk. While it's unfair, its done because muggleborns live among muggles so they often have to struggle with homework when back in Hogwarts. 'But back in my era, there's no such thing as its war. But now there's such laws due to our peaceful atmosphere.'

'Heee...'

'So you want to practice magic? I hear you've been holed up in the library doing research.'

'Yeah. After clothes shopping I think. I want to rid myself of the rags Petunia put on me.'

So it began. After withdrawing at least, a thousand pounds off the bank, Iris chose a very unusual place to shop in. Sirius knew this place is VERY FOREIGN to him when they entered a public place...yet they bypassed something like a Fidelius to get to a corridor no one else sees, and a stairway down below...to a grand-looking big elevator and there's only one selection: up and down.

'Where are we going?' Sirius asked her. 'We passed by something like a Fidelius Charm but...'

'Its power is different?'

'Yeah.'

'It's a charm that hides another magical community.' Iris told him. 'It makes humans subconsciously avoid this place, and this whole building makes our kind invisible to humans as we enter this building. Did you see richly-dressed people as you entered this building?' she asked him.

'Yeah...they look...wealthy-classy sort of folks.' Sirius mused as he looked around people coming and going. From individuals to groups of friends, even families.

'If we are called Wizardkind, they are called Magi.' said Iris.

'Magi?'

'You wouldn't know of Magi. Individual term, Magus. They're as secretive as us, but doing a better job than Wizardkind.' she told him. 'And they blend in better with humans. Humans just think they're into the fashion of the Victorian and Edwardian Era or something and its some trend among a certain circle. They also live in modern mansions and such. But just like us...they _suck_ in understanding technology unless you're a family who lives close to humans and understand, and can use technology. However, what sets Magi apart from us is that they don't use wands, can cast magic wandless with little to no effort after years of training since childhood, and they research down to the last detail in order to efficiently reenact magic through Magical Science.' Iris explained. 'So they know magic better than wizardkind. Our folk seems to be, 'it's magic, no explanation needed' while these people study details thoroughly thus they're better magic users than wizardkind.'

'Only Magi and outsiders invited in by Magi can see what you're seeing. Uninvited outsiders can never find Magi Areas no matter how hard they tried unless invited by a Magus.' Iris snorted. Sirius then stared at her.

'That means you're...'

'A magus.'

'But how?'

'...I'll explain when we get home from clothes shopping.' they followed the Magi to a grand, giant elevator they all entered and it took five minutes to get down.

"This is a looong trip." Sirius thought wryly. "We must be deep underground." and when they came out, it was a shopping district...and while they went down, why are they under sunny skies above ground?!

'Iris, I thought we're underground! I _felt_ us go down!' Sirius hissed as they walked through the beautiful shopping district possessing stylish architecture and the buildings are mostly white, showing how spotlessly clean they are with little color just to emphasize individuality of each building, like a color frame of sorts, that made Diagon Alley look like slums in comparison.

'We're just transported elsewhere.' said Iris. 'To a Magi-Only Shopping District elsewhere in England. Its in the countryside of England but no outsider can ever hope to find this place without help. Let's go clothes' shopping!' she chirped happily.

'Er-I'll pass until I get my muscle mass back since I'm still under health care regime.' said Sirius. So they went to a clothing shop for kids.

For kids.

Yet Sirius saw the fanciest clothing he has ever seen in his damn 32 years of life. If this is just for kids, what more for the adult section?! And Iris has incredible taste in clothes. She picked twenty summer, fall, and winter outfits, all of which are pricey as hell. Total Bill? A whopping 2643 pounds or 536 Galleons and some Sickles! And that's just clothes! The ridiculous bill was because they were made out of the finest and expensive materials!

Then the shoes and underwear, she chose to shop in Muggle London because she's only here for clothing. But she did shop for some things such as Magic Books...and the price varies...lowest price is 50, highest price just for a damn book is 5000. Sirius shook his head in disbelief as when they left the insanity that was the Shopping District. Iris bought books about Eulyphis used in Clock Tower till graduation that cost her 599, and other magics she took interest in. She wound up spending along 1500.

Sirius really wanted to go to London now...and see some cheap price tags for a change. In London, they bought underwear and shoes that matched her clothes.

They were cheaper in comparison.

xxx

At home...

'OK, I know I want questions answered, Iris...' said Sirius with a twitch. 'From start to finish, please?' Iris took a deep breath.

'I suppose...I should start with a little family history first...' and Sirius soon heard an incredible tale...

Lily was never an Evans to begin with. Her real surname was Reynolds born to a pureblood Magi mother and muggle father. Her grandmother's story down to her death which was . Lily never had time for Magus Arts given the situation, so it was up to Iris to become a Magus as her inheritage from her grandmother and mother.

Sirius reeled from shock that Lily was no Muggleborn but a half-blood. She hid her true identity after learning the truth from 17 years was because of fear from the Forvedge Family. Lily did NOT know what the Forvedge will do to her if they find out that a half-blood Forvedge capable of magic was out there. Either she will be taken by force and made to breed children capable of doing magic even if it meant future generations will be half-bloods. They just want the family magic back and Lily did not want a life of imprisoned breeding mare by her own relatives. The Forvedge used to be a high-ranking family, but they have become a fallen house after they can no longer produce heirs capable of magic, and became a family of...normals and became wealthy landowners instead. But they still have influence in Clock Tower however...limited compared to what they used to have.

Then came the culture of Magi, and the workings of Clock Tower...


	12. Chronology

A:N

**Timeline: Fate/Zero**

**1979**- Kiritsugu, age 20 took in a young soldier and named her Hisau Maiya. He trained her the way his foster mother Natalia trained him.

**1980**- July 31, Iris Potter is born to Lily Reynolds 'Evans' and James Potter

**1981**- Kiritsugu was hired by the Einzbern family to be their representative in the coming conflict. He entrusted all his equipment,  
including his Thompson Contender, to Maiya before leaving. He first met Irisviel von Einzbern in a tank when Justacheit von Einzbern made her.  
Kiritsugu questioned Acht as he viewed Irisviel as useless with no survival skills or defense skills. Acht took this personally and threw away Irisviel  
in the disposal yard during in the blizzard as a test to determine her durability. Kiritsugu disgusted, rushed to save Irisviel and took her back to the  
old von Einzbern castle. When she recovered, Kiritsugu decided to educate Irisviel about the current world with movies, pictures and music. Gradually  
Irisviel became more eloquent and expressive, and she became interested in Kiritsugu himself. Despite Kiritsugu's initial hesitation, they eventually fell  
in love. However, Kiritsugu knew that a love between the two would be fruitless, as he was aware that he would sacrifice her for the Holy Grail. For  
Kiritsugu's sake, Irisviel wanted to conceive a child so he would have hope after the Fourth Grail War. He was asked to marry into the Einzbern family.  
Using his sperm, Irisviel artificially conceived a child. Halloween this year, Iris Potter is orphaned and given to the Dursleys who would soon prove to be a  
cruel family to her.

**1982**- Illyasviel von Einzbern is born. Around this time, the Masters of the Einzbern, Tohsaka and Matou get their Command Spells.

**1984**- Matou Shinji, Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou are born. Sometime this same year, while Aoi performs her duty as a child of Zenjou, she conceived again.

**1985**- Tohsaka Sakura is born. Because there's one heir too many, Tokiomi begins planning for Sakura's future as there can only be one.

**1987**- Kotomine Kirei gets Command Spells and talks with his father and teacher at a Church's Facility in Torino, Italy. Around this time, Matou Kariya  
frequently sees his ex-fiancée and friend Tohsaka Aoi in parks, and plays with her daughters, treating them as if they were his own while Tokiomi is on  
business.

**1988**- Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri is engaged to Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi as a result of a strategic marriage arrangement and the decision of her  
family to entrust their crest to her older brother, Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri II instead. Because her brother did not succeed as a mage, there is increasing  
pressure from her family to marry Lord El-Melloi to save their family prestige. Sola-Ui held contempt for her brother who failed as a mage and her family  
making her pay the price for his failure and held contempt in her engagement to a man she never knew. She even snarked that the name 'Bram' was  
destined for failure since the fiancée of their grandfather Bram I ran away from the engagement because she could not stand him and even mockingly  
wondered if she should do the same. That joke earned her a forced order from her father to live with the Archibalds and 'behave' till wedding day.

**1989**- Tokiomi gave away Sakura to Matou Zouken for adoption as the Matou Family is in need of heirs, as the current child Shinji, is incapable of sorcery,  
putting an end to the Matou Line. On the other hand, Sakura was upset with this as she was given away just like that, and her future is much worse that  
made her scream for two days into her 'training' until she finally broke. She began to see her cruel reality and was resigned to her fate while harboring  
resentful feelings of her own. But Kariya finds out about this and asked Zouken to make him a master. The Grail in exchange for Sakura's freedom from  
the Matou and the Crest Worms. Zouken agreed out of amusement and Kariya subjected himself to the worms and the harsh training for a year to make  
him a capable Magus but his hair turned white, and half his body is ruined and paralyzed. In this time, Kariya's presence in the manor gave Sakura brief  
reprieve from her hell as he was her emotional crutch, being the only one in her new family to love her. A year later, he promises her that he would save  
her so she could go home. Sakura held a glimmer of hope and placed it on him, and with her freedom on the line while slowly going insane because of  
the worms and his hatred of Tokiomi for giving Sakura to Zouken, causing him to have a single goal while slowly losing his mind.

Elsewhere in England, the Grail chose a Fifth Master, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, and he hired Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri to find a good artifact for him,  
wanting to summon a Servant in the Rider Class. Bram, confident in his ability to sniff out artifacts, went and researched for heroes fitting the Class his  
future brother-in-law requested. He went to Macedonia and managed to find a piece of Iskandar the Great's cloak which he sent to Clock Tower for  
Kayneth.

A week later, it arrived to the association. Around the same time, Waver Velvet presented his thesis to his teacher, only to be humiliated in class  
and his work torn in half. Angered, Waver stormed out and bumped into a custodian. Recognizing him as a student from Eulyphis, the custodian asked him  
to hand it over to Lord El-Melloi since its important. However, Waver ended up going to the library and started researching. It was full-known that his  
teacher would compete in a tournament in the Far East so he looked for what it could be. Learning of the Holy Grail Wars, he tore open the package to see  
an old piece of cloth. It was an artifact and he flew to Japan. Kayneth who never received the artifact was enraged that it was stolen but never knew Waver  
did it. When Waver did not show up for class, he simply thought he was too embarrassed to show up. Kayneth hired Bram again to find him another and  
this time, requested personal delivery to prevent another theft. The artifact found forced him to summon a Lancer when the Grail makes its presence.

In Fuyuki City, Japan, Tokiomi found a way for Kirei to summon his Servant, Assassin in advance as they needed the Servant in their plans. Thus Kirei has no  
assistance from the Grail, forcing him to spend more on mana than he normally should, thus he can only use Assassin for scouting purposes as his teacher  
and father intended.

At a certain hour on new year's eve on year **1990**, the other Masters summoned their Servants. However, they could not yet begin as Caster wasn't summoned yet.

Two days later, Uryu Ryunosuke, Serial Murderer specializing in kidnapping and brutal killings of children found a magic book for Summoning in his family's  
attic...which he tried out for kicks, using the blood of children he kidnapped. He jokingly wondered what its like to summon a demon as he thought the magic  
book was for summoning demons and soon wondered what its like to be killed by a demon. He got Command Spells from the Grail even though he was no  
Mage, and out came Gilles de Rais, Caster. When he was summoned...the Church gave the go sign to start the war.

The war lasted a year and casualties in order: Uryu Ryunosuke killed by Kiritsugu and Caster killed by Saber. Around this time due to the reward promised  
for the deed, an additional Command Spell, Kayneth tried convincing Kotomine Risei to give the seal only to him but Risei denied him, believing in fair play  
as everyone made the effort. In rage, Kayneth killed him and left behind bullet shells to implicate Kiritsugu for the murder and left. However, Risei while still  
alive, left behind a code that only his son can understand, being a Church Member for him and Tokiomi to get the Spells before dying.

Second Casualty was Assassin when 'they' tried to come to the Kings' Drinking Party and hoped Archer would help them out. However, Archer never did,  
seeing them as trash he should not waste his effort on, and let Rider kill them all. Third Casualty was Lancer, when Kiritsugu held Kayneth and his fiancée  
hostage. Make Lancer commit suicide and they live. Kayneth was forced to give the order to save himself and Sola-Ui...but nobody expected Maiya to kill  
them both, while Kiritsugu promised he would not kill them, earning him a disgusted Saber and an upset wife for his tactics. Around this time, Irisviel is  
starting to weaken after taking in three Servants. Fourth to die was Rider who was killed by Archer, but Archer spared Waver because of his loyalty to his  
king, reminding Archer of a similar situation with him and a person whom he acknowledged as a friend. Fifth was Berserker who was killed by Saber, and  
sixth to go was Saber herself after she used up all her power to destroy the Grail...but the Grail spewed out its corrupted mud, and at the same time, offering  
Kirei a wish. Kirei wished for fire, resulting in the Fire of Fuyuki's Shinto District, and the fire killed 400.

The only survivor, an amnesiac boy who would soon become Emiya Shirou...and future Counter Guardian, the Red Archer.

At that same time, Kariya struggled to go home to see Sakura, still wanting to save her despite his loss, and last few moments of his life. However, in his  
dying moments as he reached the basement, he died while having a last good dream that he succeeded in his goals while in reality, he died with a smile.  
Sakura was broken to despair that not only did he fail and shattered her hopes, he 'was killed' for it too by Zouken. She resigned to her fate and gave  
Kariya's corpse a cold gaze as his body fell to the sea of worms and rapidly devoured by the creatures. Zouken had gone to Shinto when the fires are gone  
and found the broken pieces of the Grail. He gathered them and started breeding a new breed of Crest Worms just for Sakura in a bid to turn her into a new,  
Grail Vessel for him to use in the future, using the remains of the Grail as material.

**1991**- Iris starts Hogwarts. She mostly spent this year alone and training, and excelling in her classes

**1992**- February 25 Its also at this year that she would gain her revenge against the Dursleys, Dumbledore and Peter Pettigrew


	13. Summer Plans

Summer Plans

At Hogwarts when the students left for their homes, Dumbledore began thinking.

It'll take him a while to regain everyone's trust because of this scandal and he had to prevent the anti-muggle sentiments, but barely...because many Muggleborns took this opportunity to ask the help of their heads of houses as since being discovered as witches and wizards, their families started treating them badly for being 'unnatural'. Its not like they chose to be born with magic or choose to as babies in wombs! They were only sent to Hogwarts in a bid to make them learn but it was never the same at home anymore. Ignorance was the nicest, and harsh treatment to abuse...actions were taken in the Ministry of Magic to protect the underaged witches and wizards from such treatments from their own families. But fortunately, such cases are low in number compared to those with happy homes. However, it wasn't just muggleborns...some half-bloods who have a pure and muggle parent get some flak from the muggle parent who could not accept that his/her spouse and child is unnatural.

While Pureblood Supremacists disdained this, they have to look good in the eyes of the public and pitch in effort by financing the project but no more than that. Its politics after all. Thus a dormitory with space for 100 children was built with the upper floors occupied by responsible adults, and a gigantic kitchen, laundry room, a cleaning closet and showers, a study area, a living room, beautiful gardens near a river. In charge of discipline would be some retired adults who volunteered to look after the 'troubled muggleborns'. The Dormitory is on an unplottable land of 1000 meter radius for the students to be able to practice magic under strict adult supervision, and then a team of twenty house elves are bought to look after the dormitory.

The Dormitory was named 'Fledgeling Sanctuary' and its also on Fidelius with an unknown Secret-Keeper known only to an unknown few. And the troubled Muggleborns and half-bloods with their pureblood parent go home here since. And for them to earn money for their needs, there's a nearby farm for them to go to work to and earn money while parents are of course, obliged to pay for school tuition and school needs. The money the children earns goes to their personal needs such as clothing. Financial Sponsors will provide food and medical care until they graduate and must leave the dorms to make space for the next batch of troubled kids. Dumbledore had a part in the sanctuary to regain his good name while wondering how to guide Iris to the right path and regain her trust. She's a brilliant witch paranoid enough to check everything she owned and she may eat or drink for spells. And it'll be quite a task as she hated him so much that had she been 17, she would have declared Blood Feud on him. But she must fulfill her destiny either way. That's if, she doesn't hex him first.

On the meantime, those of noble families began thinking immediately for strategic matchmaking.

Due to their dwindling numbers as birth rate is staggeringly low in the past few generations, the Purebloods began thinking on ways to improve their fertilities in order for their bloodlines to survive, as wives wondered what the hell did Molly Weasley do to manage to have seven children, thus the Weasley line is very strong in numbers? What was her trick?

She would not, and refused to say anything to 'the snooty ones who looked down on her good, hardworking family'.

So they investigated her background sneakily. She was a Prewett before marrying a Weasley. And the Prewetts were an American Family before driven out of their home in Salem on witch hunts some centuries back and settled down in Britain. And the Prewetts were a big family until the First Wizarding War shaved their numbers and killed the last males of the clan, Gideon and Fabian Prewett thus the line is extant through Molly Weasley. They asked her Great-Aunt Muriel who is another survivor but she shut the doors in their faces, unable to trust any other pureblood who may be masked Death Eaters in their midst and she would DIE before letting murderers of her family breed with her family secrets.

Thus they went to the home country of the Prewetts, Salem. But the ancestral home was burned down. Frustrated, they came home empty-handed. Their only consolation was it was the same for other purebloods in other wizarding communities so the British Nobles weren't alone in their predicament. They had no choice but to make strategic arrangements in hopes to save their lines as each family bar the Weasleys, have one or two children and no more than that.

It was the First Wizarding War that shaved their numbers down to pitiful numbers and due to low fertility rates, their lines would soon die in a few generations.

The Blacks are currently the third numerous...Sirius Black III who is the unmarried(and most likely never will) godfather of Iris Potter, and the three daughters of Druella Black; Bellatrix who is in Azkaban for her crimes, Andromeda who married a muggle-born, siring a half-blood in her daughter Nymphadora and Narcissa Malfoy whose son is Draco Malfoy.

The only Malfoys left, are Lucius Malfoy and his son Draco.

The Lestranges are all in prison, three of them childless. Because they're in prison, they can't exactly have babies, can they? Moreover, Bellatrix is 'emotionally one-sided married' to her master, Voldemort.

The Burke's only descendant now is elderly Caractacus Burke who recently passed away, thus the Burke line is extinct as the man is unmarried due to his sterility.

The Crouch's is reduced to two...Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr. Sr. did not re-marry after the death of his wife and his son is unmarried and in prison for life.

The Longbottom's only child in the family was Neville. His parents are mental vegetables in St. Mungo's thus its just Neville and his elderly grandmother, and some aunts and uncles. They are second numerous in numbers.

The Weasleys by far, are the most numerous and all pure. They're at least, 50! But most of them are elderly, and middle-aged, having a child or two before retiring or left Magical Britain for ideal living spots, and their children are 17 in numbers and each other's cousins.

The only person left holding the Prewett name, is the spinster Muriel Prewett. Molly Weasley's elderly parents ran off to avoid the war and nobody knows where they are now.

A total of 81. They're the only Purebloods LEFT in Britain and most of them, Blood Traitors who outnumber the Purists which is a bad reality to said Purists. Even worse, majority of them are middle-aged and elderly.

The other families are extant as half-bloods, but they marry fellow half-bloods so that someday, in a few generations from now, which may take quite a while, they can become pure once more after diluting away their muggle blood in their veins in also, through matches.

So the families began looking for worthy matches. Even the most staunchest despaired in having not much choices in matches for their sons and daughters.

However, due to the long-standing friendships of families, parents who are friends arranged their children with one another. Even the Malfoys would have to marry a half-blood just as long as they can 'hide' that fact and said half-blood has purist views.

Thus is the case in the Black Family Home and they received various family attempts of engagements, engaging their sons to Iris.

'Sirius, what're those?' Iris asked Sirius who began looking at envelopes.

'Uhhh nothing. Just bills and some advertisements.' said Sirius.

'Hummm...even WE have to deal with bills?' Iris snarked out.

'Yeah. I hired some Muggles to build this house the way I wanted it and bought this land.' Sirius explained. 'So I have to pay mortgage to the Real Estate.'

'And they know we receive letters by owl?'

'They just think we have a super-smart bird and don't think too much of it.' Sirius snorted. 'I have to pay quite a sum every ten years on June 30 every ten years starting next week on said date. Go back to magic practice Iri.' he grinned. 'Let the old man here handle adult business.' Iris shrugged before studying her books while casting magic.

"Yep, let this old man handle business indeed." Sirius thought, scowling after Iris looked away because these envelopes are hoping for matchmaking with Iris and as her guardian, his job is to decide what's best for Iris, and a nagging letter from Narcissa his cousin to get married and NOT let the Black Line die. Message: Marry a Pure Witch. Sirius snorted. Who's she kidding? The Black Line is long extant. And his time in Azkaban damaged his chances of having children!

He really did not want to drop this bombshell on Iris just yet!

So craftily, he sent replies back...in the form of a 'Marriage Game'. The boys in question have six years left to win over Iris' heart through friendship and courting. NO MAGIC AND POTIONS INVOLVED or if caught, disqualified from the Game. Whoever wins her heart will get to marry her when she's 21. And the qualifications is that they can provide for, and make her happy, and be a competent wizard in magic and dueling. AND stronger than Iris. As if he'd let a weaker man marry his strong goddaughter!

The catch? The suitors do not know who their rivals are in winning her heart. This way, nobody can sabotage each other and this race is for fair game.

Sirius cackled nastily. But the gamble on his part is also risky. Iris may fall in love with a kid from a family he and James would never approve of but he already set the rules...moreover, its her happiness.

But what these noobs do not know of, is that Iris is a powerful Mage had she been fully-trained. She also has Magecraft on her side. Can they defeat someone like her...?

Iris mastered Bounded Fields in the Summer just to provide additional protection for their new home and she slowly writes down the sigils around their territory. And when the hour where her magical energy is at its peak, she used up almost all of her prana on a full moon night to construct and power-up the Bounded Fields. Thus, even if the Fidelius no longer works, they still cannot be located. Iris created a self-repairing field but will only work if she's there, and its function will only activate if a Magus noticed and damaged their field.

Her number of circuits are above average, but her ranking of power is such that should she ever master her craft, she has potential to reach Second-Rate or even First. But should she ever be first, she would be 'at the bottom of the food chain' among First-Rates as First Rate Magi have 50-60 and above Circuits of varying Qualities. She also created a Bounded Field using her magical power as a witch, 'weaving it' with the one made of prana. And Sirius heard her in confidence that it won't be easy breaking into their home and territory. Even then, Iris is an unusual Magus as her Workshop...is in the family living room where she studies, and she practices open air in the backyard!

Right now, she researched magic she can do using Earth and Water, and create her own spells...with Water and Ice as her main offense and defense, while she studied Earth just so she can use Forvedge Flora Magic when needed. She isn't fond of Earth Magic but definitely did not mind plants and flowers. But she would rather use water and ice in battle. So she's researching many ways to use water and ice. She managed to write down lots of notes for spell ideas and what's left, is to practice.

And at the Train Platform...

Sirius kept an eye on the families whose sons are competing for Iris. He chuckled. Iris is one hell of a prize. Even in his youth, he acknowledged Lily as a beautiful girl. She's the 'fairest maiden' in school in his era and even the snobs acknowledged her beauty. He himself would have bagged her if only his family isn't such racists, thus James got and married her. And their daughter is just as beautiful.

Sirius wondered if all Magi have such beautiful women. He might try and charm his way for a Magus Bride...after honing his fighting skills and getting back his good looks.


	14. Second Year Starts

Second Year Starts

Dobby the House Elf is greatly frustrated.

The whole summer, he could not find Iris Potter thus he could not pay her a visit to stop her from going this year as his master is up to something dangerous. So dangerous it may bring back you-know-who!

Dobby is a Middle-aged House Elf who managed to stay young because he is bonded to a family thus his lifespan is extended...but at a cost of grief and misery as his family are cruel, cruel people. Back when you-know-who was alive, he was ten times crueler than his masters! Dobby's many friends died at the Malfoy manner for even only the tiniest slights, Dobby was lucky to survive this far!

Dobby feared for the future of his fellow House Elves if his master succeeds. But he must keep Iris Potter alive for now! She defeated you-know-who once as a baby, she can surely do it again but now is not the time, so he wanted her safely out of the way!

Soon, she appeared at the Train Platform with his Masters present. He cannot make a move.

Maybe at Hogwarts, he can...so he went on ahead to Hogwarts while the students are on a train.

On the train...

Iris has no idea what's in store for her at Hogwarts. She's good enough with Bounded Fields but she wanted her fields to the point that they're unnoticeable but she has years loads of practice for that and she has lots more to go.

Because for ten months which was the whole school year, she strengthened her Circuits more than the norm. A year instead of six months. She had taken the opportunity to feel her fellow Magi on her first time shopping in 'Magus Alley' and the strength and durability of their circuits, is lower than hers. So she looked for more books about Magic Circuits and Training but...none! What's there, grandma already wrote it down! It seems nobody has ever done more than six months!

Only she had.

Her circumstances made it so. But compared to everyone else in the world, her Circuits are stronger than theirs. The six months may be because 'it's safe' and after that, they wanna learn magic straightaway and have power? Heh...now that she has full knowledge of how water and ice works, she can put it to practice, and practice speed-casting at the Room of Requirement.

Upon arrival, she followed her fellow Second Years to a Carriage to go ahead to the Feast...and the Sorting passed by, with a new Weasley joining Gryffindor Table, Ginny Weasley.

And a new Defense Teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart who had assigned so many books for one frigging subject alone. Iris inwardly groaned about this as Dinner that night, were Thai dishes. Of course, everybody is surprised by the new cuisine but didn't think too much of it and started eating.

Well, with healthy dishes, maybe there will be some improvement in their health.

That night, while casting the sleep spell on her peers, she snuck out of the Common Room with her Cloak to start on her Magecraft Practice. She'll try for till midnight this time.

Next day, after a nice, warm and healthy breakfast, they all got their schedule from McGonagall and its Double Herbology with Hufflepuffs. After breakfast(which everyone spent talking about the new cuisine and how its a nice change, especially the drinks), they left for their classes. As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. However, the usually cheery witch angrily chased Lockhart out, much to the disbelief of some girls.

'Alright you lot, come on, Greenhouse Three today, chaps!' said Professor Sprout with an uncharacteristic grunt which made the Hufflepuffs nervous. Not that the Gryffindors blamed them...they have one of the two nicest House Heads and she's grumpy in the morning? Moreover, what did Lockhart do? Not only that, there was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before - greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. And inside smelled of rich, damp loam and stinky fertilizer, and large umbrella-like flowers hanging on the ceiling and on their tables...are pots of something...of course, unknown.

'We'll be repotting Man drakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Man drake?' To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air.

'Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative,' said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. 'It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state.'

'Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor,' said Professor Sprout. 'The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?'

Hermione's hand shot up again. Iris wondered if she's trying too hard in getting acknowledged. And she's not letting anyone have a chance, either.

'The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it,' she said promptly. Wooow...what a plant...

'Precisely. Take another ten points,' said Professor Sprout. 'Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young.' She pointed to a row of deep trays on their tables as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to anyone at first if like this, but if they unroot the plant...they're in for an ugly surprise.

'Everyone take a pair of earmuffs,' said Professor Sprout.

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.

'When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered,' said Professor Sprout. 'When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right - earmuffs on.'

Iris snapped the earmuffs over her ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs. Of course, nobody likes the sight either! Its ugly! Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.

'As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet,' she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. 'However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray - there is a large supply of pots here - compost in the sacks over there - and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething.'

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder. Iris knew that if she didn't want that tentacula anywhere near her, she would have to use the family art to get it off her back while she works. She was joined to a table by two boys and a girl. Iris knew them by sight. Neville Longbottom, Justin Finch-Flechley and Hannah Abbott

'Justin Finch-Fletchley,' he said brightly, shaking Iris by the hand. 'That Lockhart's something, isn't he?' said Justin happily as they began fiIling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. 'Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? Id have died of fear if Id been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and - zap - just fantastic.'

'My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family...'

'Not sure about that.' said Iris wryly. 'He made Sprout angry at such an early morning...moreover, you really turned down a prestigious school in the muggle world?' she asked him incredulously. Even she knew of Eton. Hell, it was Petunia's dream to send Dudley there but with his IQ? Highly unlikely!

'Well yeah, but my folks seem to think that magic comes first for now.' said Justin with a shrug. 'I might do weird things at Eton if I get too excited so I get Private Tutors at home to catch up with 'the other side', y'know?'

After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Iris, because the plant looks like a baby, spanked and scolded it for 'being a brat' and 'get back into the damn soil!' not that anyone heard her but she got a note from Sprout that read,

_Ms. Potter, those Mandrakes are NOT babies so do not spank and scold them. Moreover they don't even know what a spank means._

By the end of the class, everyone was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth because of naughty, ugly plant babies who were worse than actual human toddlers on tantrums. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration which was also Double-Time.

Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today, they had to turn a beetle into a button. And they have different beetles on desk and some scurry so fast it was a game of catch-and-change the beetle for their schoolwork. Herbology and now another headache for the morning? Nobody was happy. Iris was relieved to hear the lunch bell after a trying catch and successfully changing her beetle. Everyone filed out of the classroom for a nice lunch. After that, they went outside into the overcast courtyard to head for their next class. Defense.

When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

'Me,' he said, pointing at it and winking as well. 'Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!'

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly. Nobody laughed. Most of them, but the girls were the ones who smiled weakly at his bad joke. He can't joke to save his life at all.

'I see you've all bought a complete set of my books -well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in -'

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, 'You have thirty minutes - start - now!'

Iris looked down at her paper and read:

What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?

Iris wanted to strangle this man. They are to learn ONLY about him, and not about Defense? The boys, and the Slytherins weren't too happy about this while grudgingly answering...randomly.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

'Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully - I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdens Old Firewhisky!'

He gave them another roguish wink. Iris and the boys was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on their face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

'... but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact,' - he flipped her paper over - '-full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?'

Hermione raised a trembling hand.

'Excellent!' beamed Lockhart. 'Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so - to business -'

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

'Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm.' Iris wondered if this fool has his serious moments after all. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.

'I must ask you not to scream,' said Lockhart in a low voice. 'It might provoke them.'

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover...


	15. Lockhart and Feather Power

Lockhart and Feather Power

'Yes,' he said dramatically. 'Freshly caught Cornish pixies. '

Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.

'Yes?' He smiled at Seamus.

'Well, they're not - they're not very - dangerous, are they?' Seamus choked.

'Don't be so sure!' said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. 'Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!'

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

Iris had a baaaad feeling about this as dread pooled into her stomach as Lockhart reached for the door...

'Right, then,' Lockhart said loudly. 'Let's see what you make of them!' And he opened the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

'Come on now - round them up, round them up, they're only pixies,' Lockhart shouted.

He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed,

'Peskipiksi Pesternomi!'

It was clearly 'pesky pixie pester no me'. And its not really a spell, its just gibberish. To prove it was, it had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit and even Lockhart ran out, leaving his classroom a mess and pixies still in there.

xxx

'So Iris,' said Hagrid, 'Its yer second year now. How was it?' he too, was in a bad mood. Apparently, while Hagrid was getting rid of juvenile kelpies out of the well near the Thestral Stables, Lockhart went and 'gave him advice' that annoyed the friendly giant, putting him in a bad mood as well. Lockhart seems determined to annoy everyone around him. Hagrid's idea of cheering himself up, was talking to her.

'Ohhh I'll give you my honest opinion,' Iris snarled. 'Our defense teacher is a total dumbass who's too full of himself!' she grunted as she 'murdered' the rock cake given to her with her fork in annoyance. 'His idea of a quiz? Questions about his damn biography that has NOTHING to do with the subject, and he let a cage of pixies loose! Heck, when the bell rang, even _he_ ran away! Even the spell he used was utter nonsense and may as well be 'pesky pixie pester no me' in bad English!'

'Well, he was the on' man for the job and I mean the on' one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now ever since I turned 21. The jinx started when I was that age and by then, I started bein' Groundskeeper.'

'Great. So the curriculum is inconsistent and teachers teach what they wanted to teach instead of making it consistent.' Iris sighed. 'Self-study really is an option isn't it?'

'Yeh, some students figured that out by now.' said Hagrid. 'The smarter ones do, that is. Others still rely on them Defense Teachers. By what yer tellin' me, I think the other kids will wise up too.'

xxx

'Hey Potter, you been hanging around that cabin sometime.' said Malfoy as Iris passed him by the same corridor with his usual two flunkies, Crabbe and Goyle.

'Well, he's a family friend so he's checking on me once in a while.' Iris chuckled. 'And he could use some cheering up.'

'What for?'

'Lockhart.' said Iris as if explaining it all with a bland expression on her face and her tone of voice was as if she was in a landfill. 'Really now, I think self-study is an option in this class.' she said wearily. 'I heard from Hagrid that this subject began getting jinxed since he turned 21 and he's working as Groundskeeper by then and curriculum started getting inconsistent and random, we're better off on our own self-study don't you think? This year's teacher is an incompetent fool who's so full of himself, we'll be learning more about his personal information and travels than actual defense.' the trio exchanged looks.

'Really? We don't have him yet until tomorrow.'

'Ohhh trust me, you're in for one hell of a ride.' Iris drawled with a look of utter disdain on her face. 'And you'll see how much of a dumbass he is. The smarter ones should be self-studying by now...but it'll take a while for fangirls to see reality.' and bidding them goodbye, she went away, with the boys looking like they just ate a bug. If the local celebrity says so...

And she wasn't kidding the next day when its the Slytherins' turn with Hufflepuffs.

xxx

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire which gave some people friendly laughs because it was indeed amusing to look at.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds making him one happy giant for Halloween because carving pumpkins will be loads easier on him. That, and the pumpkin innards he took out, will be used for pumpkin-based foods and desserts so nothing was wasted. During this month, Iris mastered Elementary Magus Spells by now and starting on Spiritual Evocation and Healing Spells when she came across Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, '... don't fulfill their requirements...half an inch, if that...'

'Hello, Nick,' said Iris. 'Something wrong?'

'Hello, hello,' said Nearly Headless Nick, starting and looking round. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. He was pale as smoke, and Harry could see right through him to the dark sky and torrential rain outside. 'Ah,' Nearly Headless Nick waved an elegant hand, '-a matter of no importance...it's not as though I really wanted to join...thought I'd apply, but apparently I 'don't fulfill requirements'-'

In spite of his airy tone, there was a look of great bitterness on his face.

'But you would think, wouldn't you,' he erupted suddenly, pulling the letter back out of his pocket, 'that getting hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe would qualify you to join the Headless Hunt? I mean, nobody wishes more than I do that it had all been quick and clean, and my head had come off properly, I mean, it would have saved me a great deal of pain and ridicule. However -' Nearly Headless Nick shook his letter open and read furiously: ''We can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted company with their bodies. You will appreciate that it would be impossible otherwise for members to participate in hunt activities such as Horseback Head-Juggling and Head Polo. It is with the greatest regret, therefore, that I must inform you that you do not fulfill our requirements.

With very best wishes, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore.''

Fuming, Nearly Headless Nick stuffed the letter away.

'Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Iris! Most people would think that's good and beheaded, but oh, no, it's not enough for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore.' Iris sweatdropped at his utter sarcasm.

'Now now, cheer up!' Iris said cheerfully. 'How about this? Lower yourself to my height level so I can reach your head, will you?' she asked him as Nick did so, and using Mana on her left hand, she grabbed his head to his surprise and yanked his head out.

'Wha? You can touch me?!' Nick gasped out. 'Nobody could ever do that before!'

'Well I can! This might hurt a little!' and with her right hand as if she'd do a karate chop, she cut off that very inch to Nick's shock. 'How about that? You're Headless now!' she said as Nick's eyes were wide as he is actually holding his head now.

'I-I-I'm headless...I'm really headless!' Nick burst out in joy as he tossed his head up many times. 'I can't believe it! How can I thank you?!' he cried as he patted her shoulders.

'By not telling anyone who did you a favor and what exactly I did. These wizarding folk might not take too kindly to magic that can uhh...cut ghosts.' said Iris wryly. 'Keep this a secret and consider this your Birthday and Christmas gift.'

'You bet I will! WHOOP-DEE-DOOOOO!' and he zoomed away happily, even playing with his own head as if its some toy ball while cackling something about 'showing Podmore'. Ghosts are weird, she thought. And by Halloween, everyone had heard of now Headless Nick who got 'properly decapitated' but he was tight-lipped on who made him 'properly beheaded' but he was over the moon about it and getting to join the Headless Hunt and Head Polo.

But that Halloween while its still Dinnertime...

They heard an anguished scream from Filch, causing people to go out to see why.

Someone had put foot-high graffiti on the wall down the corridor that read, 'The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened. Enemies of the Heir beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!' and around the torch in front of which, Filch was wailing, was a petrified Mrs. Norris, her tail wrapped around the torch to hang her there. Needless to say, the Headmaster ordered every Prefect to take their Housemates to their dorms immediately.

xxx

For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back.

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to her older brothers, she was a great cat lover.

'But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris,' Ron told her bracingly. 'Honestly, we're much better off without her.' Ginny's lip trembled. 'Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts,' Ron assured her. 'They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking-' Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. Well, what muggle-born isn't affected? Every one who's muggle-born were worried they might end up like Mrs. Norris-petrified by whoever petrified her. And everyone's in the library researching it, and even Iris asked Sirius for history books about it because there's nothing on her Hogwarts, a History book.

He found nothing either. But he did send information about Creatures that can Petrify.

'Cockatrices and Basilisk...and Slytherin is a House of Snakes...there's no way the creature is a cockatrice so its gotta be a Basilisk. Moreover, someone's killing Hagrid's Roosters because a Rooster's Crow can kill it.' Iris mused to her fellow peers in the library after getting the information from home.

'But a millennia year old Basilisk...it's probably a giant by now!' said Hermione Granger fearfully. 'How on earth can a whole school fight a Basilisk if it ever shows up?!'

'Well...we'll have to buy a load of Roosters for our own sakes.' said Dean Thomas. 'Let's tell McGonagall!' with that, they went to the Transfiguration Office to tell what they think of to their Head of House.

'Really? You think it may be a Basilisk if the Chamber is really open?' Professor McGonagall asked her Second Years.

'Yes.' said Hermione. 'Slytherin's symbol is a snake, and a Basilisk is a giant snake and its the only thing that can live this long. Cockatrices don't have that luxurious lifespan...and further proof is that Potter said that Hagrid's upset that someone's killing his Roosters lately! And what kills Basilisks? Roosters!' she exclaimed.

'We think we should have roosters around the halls.' said Iris. 'Let Filch complain for all we care, our lives are more important than rooster poo on the floor.' she grumbled. 'We're also walking with mirrors now just so we won't die if we ever see it.'

'I'll see what I can do in the next Faculty Meeting.' said McGonagall. 'Return to your rooms and definitely no going out of the Hallways!'

However, on the end of the First Week of November...

Colin Creevey, a Gryffindor, is found petrified.

The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone. Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure- blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.

McGonagall saw it fit to tell the rest of the Faculty what her second years thought about the situation.

'Buy a flock of roosters enough to cover the whole castle?!' Professor Flitwick squeaked. 'Any idea how much that would cost?!'

'Come on now Profezzer, Roosters are only 15 knuts in the market!' said Hagrid.

'And should that tale of theirs be true, we'll need a thousand to cover this whole castle.' said Snape wryly. '15000 knuts. That would be 500 sickles. That's affordable and all in Hogwarts' Financial Coffers, but the question is, what do we do with them afterward?'

'Well, lunch and dinner of course.' said Sprout. 'We'll be weary of chicken for a while but its all we got.'

'1000 Roosters eh?' Dumbledore chuckled. 'Indeed, its all we can do...because I fear we will never find the fabled chamber.'


	16. And so it ends

And so it ends

And so, Hogwarts had ordered a bunch of live roosters and had them wandering over all hallways of Hogwarts, charmed to crow nonstop, much to the amusement of the student body, and to Filch's chagrin as they were leaving bird poo on the floor. To make things harder on him, Hagrid leaves around drinking bowls, and tossing dried corn on the floors.

A week later, Hogwarts is starting to have Water Problems, and Dumbledore hired some experts to fix the water flow...

It took a month and half into investigation. But they located a dead giant basilisk clogging up a large pipe, thankfully with it's eyes closed, sparking quite a pandemonium in the school, and for parents to get letters about it from their kids. Of course, it did not take long for the Prophet to get to Hogwarts to get photos of the pulled-out, dead Basilisk in the courtyards. The Headlines were,

**CLEVER SECOND YEAR GRYFFINDORS**  
**HATCH BIRDY PLANS TO KILL THE FABLED**  
**SLYTHERIN'S MONSTER IN THE JUST AS FABLED**  
**CHAMBER OF SECRETS!**

But of course, nobody knows who's the heir just yet...its not like anyone will fess up, either.

Iris Potter, Hermione Granger, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom-three of whom became instant celebrities since they figured out the monster and Iris is already famous to begin with as four of them are interviewed in the Prophet since the attacks started. In the end, there's only two casualties; Filch's cat, Colin Creevey, and Newly-Headless Nick who's still petrified in the Hospital Wing as the Mandrakes have yet to mature for their cure. Neville Longbottom got a Howler but instead of a scolding like what it usually does, it was his grandmother's magnified gushing on how the family is so proud of him for being a part of the case.

As for the Basilisk, it was stripped of anything useful and sold as super-expensive Potions Ingredients because of its age. It's hide and bones all the more pricey but nobody wanted its Mystic Eyes and they were a treasure never to be let out of its head beneath its eyelids lest they die by taking a peek. Of course, as its Hogwarts Property, Snape got some of it for free.

Unfortunately for Lockhart, Rita Skeeter was among the Reporters as she began sniffing around for gossip-worthy material...

**LOCKHART, REAL OR FICTION?**

Since that Evening Prophet came out, Lockhart literally ran away from the Great Hall using the Staff Exit, and a lot of angry hate mail flooded the Great Hall but by then, he was long gone.

Snape, the boys and Iris were happy, while the girls were disenchanted. And Sirius offered to teach for the remaining two months of school as an excuse to spend more time with Iris every after classes.

Sirius, having regained half of his health back, was dressed in richly-colored clothes in great fashion as Iris took him out clothes shopping in Magus Alley before Christmas(of course, he pays for his clothes and tip the saleslady to dress him as his 'fashion sense dulled since recovering from a coma'). Needless to say, he has his own fangirls now that he's healthy and shaved, and wearing expensive high-class, high-end fashion. That, and good looks and rich clothes aside, he is also a wonderful teacher, having mapped out self-study programs due to their unfortunate inconsistent curriculum from frequent teacher replacements, from first year work up to seventh year material.

Each student has a looong list of just-as-long parchment. 1st Year covered Dark Creatures, How to Avoid and Escape, How to Fight and medically treat yourself after injury by said Dark Creature, as well as difficulty level. However, many eyebrows raised regarding his knowledge about vampires and werewolves and he had to explain(Magi knew more about vampires than wizarding folk ever did and Sirius said he learned that abroad) and that was because a good friend of his is one, thus he has access to Werewolf info nobody has, and taught them how to 'be kind to werewolves'. Only in his version of 2nd Year does the actual spellworks begin. From beginner spells to the highly-advanced spells. At fifth year and up, names of curses started appearing up to seventh year. With their counter-curses and treatments.

However, at the final month of school...

Ginny Weasley went missing, causing panic that the mysterious heir had kidnapped her(a speculation), forcing every Head of House to stay in the Dorms and do Headcounts for who else is missing as the faculty went on a search for the missing Weasley Child...

And some paintings commented on having seen her, walking unnaturally, heading for somewhere and she looked terribly ill and pale. Following the lead of the paintings.

Dobby the House Elf showed up right then and there and confessed what he knows.

Apparently, when the Purebloods are having 'future succession crisis', they approached Molly Weasley and Muriel Prewett for their secrets in having so many children, but they flatly refused in sharing 'reproduction secrets' that made his masters flow into a rage as in a generation or two, Dobby's Master Family will be no more. As revenge, his master mixed in a cursed black book among the belongings of the Weasley Children and he's been keeping an eye on the Weasleys as he had no idea what the book does.

And the more Ginny Weasley wrote into it, she started acting strangely. The reason Dobby could not say anything was because he feared the spirit in the book.

'Cruel, cruel monster he is!' Dobby sniffled. 'Dobby lost many friends when he is alive! They is killed for smallest of errors or when he feels like it! He lives through the book and now Ginny Weasley!'

'WHAT?!' came the collective gasps.

'Dobby wants to keep Iris Potter safe because she did it once, she can do it again!' Dobby continued. 'The monster is now possessing young Wheezy!'

'By any chance, do you know where the Chamber is, Dobby?' Dumbledore asked Dobby. 'We fear she has gone in there.'

'In moaning ghost's bathroom headmaster sir.' said Dobby. 'Bathroom of moaning ghost girl! Wheezy girl made hissy sounds and the sink moved and she went down opening sir!'

'Hissy sounds...merlin, we can't open the entrance, and a girl's bathroom of all places!' Snape swore. 'We need a Parselmouth or we'll never rescue Ginny Weasley.'

'Screw Parselmouth, how about we blow up our own opening?' Sirius suggested.

'Incase you forgot Black, a Founder has a hand in creating this school, and linked said chamber to said school. Do you think we can destroy it THAT easily?' Snape pointed out. 'The school will self-repair faster than we can exploit the hole we make!'

'How about the pipes?' Professor Vector suggested. 'The pipes big enough for basilisks? Sure it'll take us a while but we'll get a jackpot eventually, right?'

'Yeah...that could work.' Sirius agreed. 'And point me can lead us to Ginny Weasley. And our friendly elf can watch this entrance. If Ginny comes out, Dobby will stun and mummify her neck down with ropes if he has to because she may still be under influence. The rest of us will find a convenient pipe to this...Chamber.'

Needless to say, they did just that...and had to face Tom Riddle Jr. who would soon become Voldemort as the Faculty soon found out. And there was Ginny Weasley, nearly dead as the Voldie Jr. took almost all her life force and they have little time left to save her by destroying him.

Its easy to kill him as he's a student compared to experienced wizards and witches but he materializes and Ginny's condition gets worse.

Sirius cast Avada Kedavra on the diary when he remembered that the Spirit came from the Book...and indeed, he started screaming while fading away.

'Alright, what finally killed him?' Professor Sinistra gasped out while in her arms, Madam Pomfrey saw Ginny Weasley wake and recover at a rapid rate but not fully well; after all, her life force is consumed so not all of it came back.

'The diary...I used the Killing Curse on it.' Sirius gasped out. 'Dobby said there's his spirit in that damn book, so I figured it's the main body. That thing we were killing is a limited immortal tied to Ginny. Destroying it will kill Ginny as he regenerates with her life force so I decided to destroy the book to destroy his vessel. With no root to anchor himself on Ginny who wrote into it, he can no longer leech from her and use his medium. Its the only way. Well, looks like my crazy family's love for Dark Arts is useful just this damn once.' he grinned weakly.

'How is she Poppy?' McGonagall choked out to the Mediwitch.

'She's cold so I put her in healing sleep.' said Madam Pomfrey. 'She woke while all of you are fighting him and started disappearing. She was in hysterics. We'll get the full story from her later. She needs rest. Only half her Life Force came back.'

xxx

Hours later when Ginny recovered with the Weasley parents present, Ginny revealed her ordeal.

She found a black empty book in her cauldron while shopping. She thought it was free from Potage's Cauldron Shop so she didn't think too much of it and decided to use it as an extra notebook just incase. But come school year when she started writing, the book began 'talking' to her. Since she doesn't have friends yet, she began confiding in the book but she's having moments of blacking out around Halloween when Mrs. Norris was petrified...then after Christmas holidays, blood and feathers on her robes after another blackout and she was starting to get scared, but could not tell anybody. Each time she tried, she would freeze and lose her voice. And when she knew she killed the roosters, she started getting weak...

And then there's Dobby's tale...Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were flabbergasted.

The diary with the spirit of you-know-who in it as a 16 year old boy was planted by some vengeful pureblood who took advantage of the crowdedness of Diagon Alley as revenge on Molly Weasley and Muriel Prewett as neither woman shared their child-bearing secrets. By unleashing a possessed girl who could potentially kill half the student body, her own brothers included _just to reduce Weasley numbers_...

While only the Faculty, the Weasleys, Sirius and soon Iris would know the truth, the Faculty explained away that Ginny fell into an unknown passage, unable to get out by herself and broke her hips after a bad fall to validate her stay in the Infirmary. They can't tell the truth...the world will panic!

Needless to say, the last people to leave the school, were Molly Weasley and her children as Arthur has work. This was because recovering her life force is nothing easy...

xxx

'So that's what happened.' Iris mused. 'Who knows if there are more of those vessels.'

'I don't want to think about it.' said Sirius wryly. 'Dumbledore said that Tom Riddle Jr. later became Voldemort. He sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy in Hogwarts.'

'So a pureblood?'

'Heck, no. I know every pureblood name as my elementary lessons before I went to Hogwarts.' Sirius scoffed. 'So he may be a half-blood or muggleborn who discovered his roots, proud of said roots and embraced the power that came with it, becoming the egomaniac pureblood supremacist we all know today.' he finished with a scowl. 'Nobody saw this coming.'

'I imagine. I hope next year, we'll have a normal year for a change.' Iris snorted. 'First year Halloween, Troll on the loose and nearly killed Granger. Second year Halloween, this Chamber craze. I don't want to know what's next.'

'Right...'


	17. Invitation

Invitation

At home,

Iris ticked off what she already accomplished. Elementary Spells, Bounded Fields, Spiritual Evocation, Healing, Reinforcement and Structural Grasp. The latter two will do great in her Potions work for sure...and it shows as Snape gives her great grades in practical work after Christmas Holidays since learning it. And this summer, she would do Gradation Air, and her Elemental Magecraft but Elemental Magecraft will take a whole year. Not that she minded. Her repertoire included Witchcraft since she's a half-magus with access to a witch school!

However, she's lacking in her physical fitness training so she skipped her magic plans, and went to fitness classes with Sirius instead. However, when she went for the gym, the receptionist said that girls at her age should NOT do any weight-lifting and instead suggested that if she wanted to be physical fit, she should do aerobics and anaerobics instead or Yoga which was on the upper floors of the gym Sirius frequents, and she took the 'Burning Workout Program' Sirius worried for her, while she went back to strengthening her circuits.

The Burning Workout Program usually makes him see pink, very flushed and very sweaty women leave for the showers, wanting cold showers. And she signed up for two months...while strengthening her circuits again?! That usually causes her body temperature to rise and it's summer!

Yikes...

By the end of the day, he had to carry her home in a taxi, and then make said taxi forget about them to jump the bill, and apparate home because by the end of it, she makes sure she lasts long enough to finish taking a damn shower before falling dead on him. And after resting, she usually works up an appetite at dinnertime she eats enough for two people, drink her medication, and fall asleep.

His goddaughter is growing well and nicely. From eating healthy foods that health potions are using as 'base material' to work its magic in the body, both of them are recovering well from eleven years' worth of malnutrition that around Christmas this year, they would no longer need it. By then, they're veeery healthy. He gave the same offer to Remus, but Remus would need to be half-healthy first at least, before hitting the gyms. Long before Sirius got imprisoned, Remus spent most of his graduation life running away in fear of Greyback using his power as an alpha to control him and force him to hurt his friends, as the man sired him as a child when his father offended Greyback, and bit his son in retaliation. Remus was lucky to survive but Remus was of the opinion that he should have died instead of living a 'fate worse than death', he was lucky to have people who accepted him while other werewolves like him didn't have such luxury.

On the last week of summer vacation however...

Sirius received an invitation from one of the suitors' parents.

Since every suitor hardly knows anything about Iris as she spends more time disappearing in the castle doing who-knows-what and she usually shows what she's been doing by being a perfect witch in spellcasting and potions, being too studious she has no time socializing. On the first time she DID socialize on her first year, she was so awkward and socially clumsy! Years of cruel alienation can do that to anybody.

Beauty and talented witch aside, they wanted to get to know the beauty they want their son to marry if he ever succeeds in winning her heart.

Just then, his thoughts were disturbed when Iris gasped, clutching her chest. 'Iri?!' Sirius gasped out as Iris rubbed her chest.

'S-someone entered the barrier...' she croaked as she ran outside to see...and her jaws dropped in disbelief and incredulity of it all while Sirius looked horrified.

'V-v-v-VAMPIRE!' Sirius yelped in horror with wide, bulging eyes as he got ready to whip his wand out.

'Sirius it's OK! This guy won't harm us!' Iris cried before Sirius could fire a spell. 'He's here for curiosity!'

'Curiosity?!' Sirius yelped in a near-high-pitched voice in disbelief.

'He's a Wizard Marshall of the Association! Vampire he may be but he's a member of Clock Tower and a very well-respected man!' Iris explained frantically to her panicking godfather. 'His name is a mouthful so just call him Zelretch for short!' the man called Zelretch sweatdropped.

'Yes.' said the man who is at least, a meter tall, middle-aged and dressed like a count. He even has a cane! 'I'm curious about a Bounded Field in an out-of-the-way place like this.' he said as his eyes fell on Iris. 'So you're a Magus yet this man with you...he's a wizard judging by that stick I'm seeing.' he remarked thoughtfully. 'I find it odd that there's a third-rate barrier over here,' Iris looked put-out at that and pouted. She thought its her best work yet its a third rate in his eyes? 'And a wizard living together.'

'Well, we're both of wizarding lineage but I'm half-magus from my mother's side and my father's side is wizard so I'm a half-blood.' Iris explained. 'So I practice both worlds while going to wizarding school, Hogwarts.'

'You're juggling both worlds together eh?' Zelretch chuckled. 'You probably have no social life.' Iris blanched and Sirius palmed his face because he nailed it. 'So then, how about we talk inside over some tea? Talking while standing will be tiresome on you youngsters unlike undeads like me.'

And so...

'Like I said, I'm here on my way home to Clock Tower after traveling, and I saw this bounded field.' said Zelretch. 'The field intrigued me as it has two different energies. So it's prana and witch magic eh?' he mused thoughtfully as he looked outside.

'Yes...I thought it'll make the barrier better by weaving two different energies together.' said Iris.

'Not a bad idea but your field could still use some work.' said Zelretch. 'Your work is that of a third-rate magus in regards to barriers which is somewhat understandable for your age and experience. Who is your teacher?'

'Um, she's mostly self-taught.' Sirius coughed. 'She's following her grandmother's diary.'

'And no supervisor. No wonder.' said Zelretch wryly. 'Instruction of Bounded Fields needs an expert to watch over the progress of a student learning certain fields of Magecraft and Bounded Fields are one of those.' he pointed out. 'I'll have to point out your mistakes to somewhat improve it. And I may have to inform the association and the church of this area so they'll leave you alone.' he told them. 'Because your kind of barrier definitely attracts attention and you're lucky its me, not some Enforcer or the Church. They usually attack first, ask later.' Iris and Sirius gulped audibly at that.

After Zelretch pointed out Iris' mistakes in her barriers which she fixed according to his instructions and let her see her work outside the barrier, she was astonished that there's almost...no presence outside. After thanking Zelretch for his instructions, the old vampire left.

'Well, the barrier is fixed now.' said Iris. 'I can't believe my barrier actually has mistakes.' she grumbled. And she thought she had her knowledge completed. Zelretch wrote down first-rate instructions for her to complete her repertoire.

'Er no offense Iri but maybe in her runaway days, your grandma has third-rate experience in Bounded Fields.' Sirius pointed out.

'Probably...' Iris sighed. Sirius then remembered something.

The letter.

And this, is why Iris found herself waiting in an Indian Restaurant(the name she could NOT understand as its in Hindi), as she is waiting for her host family for the final week of Summer.

The Diggorys.

Soon, they came for her as she has NO idea what they look like. 'Ms. Potter,' said a stout man who is easily dwarfed by his son in height. Said son was tall, well-built and handsome young man with chiseled features with dark hair and grey eyes. 'We're the Diggory Family and we'll be your host family for the summer.' he said, taking her hand gently and shaking it. 'I'm Amos Diggory, my wife Cecilia and my son, Cedric. He's two years older than you I believe.' Iris merely nodded.

'Yes...but this came as a surprise though.' said Iris as they left the restaurant. 'I was never invited for a sleepover before.' she said, her eyes twinkling. She's a bit excited as Sirius told her she's invited for a sleepover. Many girls in her elementary school do it with their friends, so...

'I can only imagine dear,' said Mrs. Diggory. 'So how is your summer?'

'Well, Sirius and I spent our summer mostly in the gym in London.'

'A gym?'

'Yes. He's adamant in getting the 'manly body' he's lost in Azkaban back so he's been on a strict diet and fitness program by his instructor and I was on the Aerobics Program for women.' she explained.

'Aerobics eh? Those reportedly exhausting dance-exercise muggle women do?' Mrs. Diggory asked her.

'Yes. They go there for weight-loss, physical fitness and socializing purposes and everyone who's a regular there know each other. Since I just started and am a newcomer, I don't know the women there.' Iris chuckled. 'And considering what kind of school we have, I need all the lung power I can get.'

'Manly looks eh, isn't he good-looking already?' Cedric Diggory quipped. 'The girls fawn over him worse than Lockhart. He's a pretty cool teacher too, its just too bad he refuses the post this year.'

'Well, good looks aside and good taste in clothes, he actually knows what he's doing unlike that idiot.' Iris scoffed disdainfully. 'A total idiot and Skeeter found out his dirty laundry...'

'Yes...I never thought he steals somebody else's work and obliviates the real accomplishers.' Mrs. Diggory pouted.

'Well, shows that good looks hide empty heads sometimes.' Mr. Diggory snorted. 'When his secret got outed, people wanted their money back from the expensive books he sold and there's this huge bonfire in Diagon for it. We had to tell the Muggles who spotted the smoke that somebody's incinerator got out of control. Of course, people never got their money back and Lockhart is on the loose, a free, wealthy man.' he scowled. 'Fudge wasn't too happy that all of Magical Britain got conned...he can't even put out wanted posters out of embarrassment.'

'Ahhh...politics.' Iris sighed.

'Yes, politics.' Mr. Diggory nodded sagely. 'For a politician, their public face is worth more than treasure as it keeps them in power.' he took out his wand and raised it, and out came a purple, double-decker bus.

'Welcome to the Knight Bus,' said a tall, lanky and pimply man. 'I'm Stan Shunpike, yer conductor. Where to, Mr. Diggory?'

'Ottery St. Catchpole for four.'

'That'll be a Galleon.' said Stan Shunpike the Conductor as they sat down and Mr. Diggory paid the toll.

'You might want to brace yourself,' Cedric winked. 'For first timers, it's a little...rough.'

'How rough?' Iris asked and her answer came in the form of a hardcore, reckless speeding and turning to her horror...by the end of it, she was clinging tight for dear life on her upperclassman who was stiff where he sat, and his parents looked amused.

Well, their son DID have a beautiful girl clinging to him...

When they got off, Iris made it known she had a foul mouth and cursed up a storm.

'Whoever gave him a driving license,' Iris gasped out as she shakily walked with her hosts, 'I wanna kill him.'

'That's what first-timers all think.' said Cedric as he has his own experience as a child and barfed up his dinner in the streets. 'It gets better in time, don't worry! Come on, our house is nearby.' and it was a five minute walk, and their house a cozy cottage in appearance with a garden, and a birdbath. Inside has a cozy appearance.

'Ced, show her around while I get dinner ready,' said Mrs. Diggory. 'Your father will get her room ready.'

'OK Mom.'

xxx

Cedric Diggory is nervous with good reason.

It's that time for many parents, wanting a good match between sons and daughter for the sake of family prosperity. Parents look for worthy boys and girls to marry their child to in Hogwarts, by looking at their academic profiles and reputation in school by asking their heads of houses when school ends. They go PERSONALLY for a PTC Chat and they get into an argument on whose child has him/her for their kid to get engaged with.

Sirius, having had enough of naggings at him to have Iris have loads of suitors, he personally chooses suitor candidates and started up a 'Marriage Game' Rivals are anonymous to each other, try to win Iris' heart and who she likes best, wins. He is one of the suitors in question. While he has a relationship with Cho Chang, his parents don't approve of her upon hearing of her from his Head of House. Cho is average in her classes and failing in Astronomy, History of Magic, and Ancient Runes. And her Asian Looks and name are strange to his folks while to the Muggleborns who have practically traveled anywhere, they find her 'exoticly lovely' and has her fair share of admirers. And Cho, through him, knew of Wizarding Culture. Particularly THIS and she knows his parents made him a suitor to Iris.

Iris has it all; mysterious beauty, good family background, _bank_ground, celebrity, and a very competent witch in both Academics, Magic Skills and Potions, often getting 'O's in her marks. Her flaw is naturally, her non-existent personality, socially awkward and has yet to tell the difference between genders and how different they are from one another. And while boys and girls are crushing on someone at her age, she on the other hand, has yet to have 'a maiden's heart' and is more into 'all work, play later'. She even has no idea nor cared about Quidditch. When everyone goes to the stadium for matches, she would go to wherever heck she goes in Hogwarts for private magic practice, hence her grades. She even gets an O in _Snape's_ Class which is a frigging mystery as he is biased to his house and gives them high marks even if they don't deserve it.

He showed her around his house, and around Ottery St. Catchpole and she likes the countryside more than she likes cities.

And he even has to look after her because she dresses in high-end fashion, looks like a doll and really a daughter of a noble family she's easily a kidnap victim material, he can't let her out of his sight no matter what.


	18. The Host Family

The Host Family

Cedric took her around Ottery St...well, a least the magical side of it.

'We're living with other wizarding families here.' said Cedric. 'The Fawcetts, Lovegoods, and the Weasleys. There's only four wizarding families here as in the past, muggles multiplied too quickly for us to take some space so only four families can fit in here, really.' he told her.

'I see...but don't only purebloods have that problem?' Iris pointed out. 'Half-bloods have less trouble having kids.'

'Yeah but some half-bloods have financial troubles, especially around 13 years ago.' said Cedric. 'Most kids 13 year ago and more have families having financial troubles thus family planning is a must so there can't be really much kids either.' he explained. 'Financial issues led to population issues.'

'Oh.'

'Well, around this era, where nobody has such problems anymore, we can have as many kids as we want. But thing is, most parents are elderly now so ahem, they're leaving that job to us when every teenager is old enough as an adult.' Cedric continued. 'I hear those working abroad are getting pressured now eh?'

'Oh...lucky we're too young to deal with that just yet,' said Iris with a grimace.

'You're telling me. Well, my parents are too old to have kids now...' said Cedric. 'So its our job when we're adults to have as many kids as possible...'

'Really, pressuring us like that after we graduate...' Iris huffed in a huffy harrumph pose. 'We should enjoy life before worrying about responsibilities after we graduate! After school is freedom as young adults! We can travel, meet a lot of people, see the world, stuff like that before worrying about settling down!'

'Ehehe, is that so?'

'Yeah! Worry about marrying later, we're still kids!'

'So says the one all work at school.' said Cedric wryly. Iris puffed up her cheeks.

'Well, my future depends on the grades I have in school so to get any job I want, I have to have great grades.' Iris told him. 'I want to show everyone I can get in on my own skills, not because of who I am. I want to be known as a competent witch.'

'I guess that explains it...by the way, how do you get Os in Snape's Class?' Cedric asked her with a grimace. 'He never gives Os outside Slytherin House! What did you do?'

'Well...I know how to cook.' Iris told him. 'Potions is like cooking, only, instead of food we're making liquid magic.' she explained. 'Do you know how to cook?' Cedric started to look sheepish.

'Ehhh no...I know how to peel, slice and dice with knives, and I follow instructions but sometimes my potions has a mistake or two because there are steps I don't know how to do and so does everyone else.' he explained. Iris snorted before giggling.

'I guess I'll teach you how to cook if you want an O in Potions. Snape's a perfectionist!'

'No kidding!'

'I'll start tomorrow since your mum cooked tonight.' Cedric nodded. This is his opportunity to spend time with her and to do so, she needs reasons to stay around him and the only way seems to be helping him out.

He took a deep breath.

One week already feels like eternity.

And so...

'So you'll help Ced get higher grades in Potions by teaching him how to cook?' Mrs. Diggory asked the kids over dinner and its just them for now as Mr. Diggory will be home late.

'Yeah...so we will be taking over the kitchens for a while.' said Iris with a smile. 'He needs to know how ingredients are prepared best. Since he doesn't know some steps and processes and well, Snape's teaching style is write instructions and nothing after that, he really doesn't explain how things are done. I guess he expects we were taught to cook at home or something but the fact is, 1/10 kids in a country learn how to cook at young ages. It's easy to tell who knows and who doesn't by passing and failing in Potions.'

'Which is, most of us, if our grades were any indication.' Cedric snorted. 'What mostly keeps our grades up are tests, quizzes and exams in Potions if we're lucky enough, not potion-making. I catch up that way.'

'Well, I'll teach you so you can pass Potions.' Iris smiled. 'Cooking is half our grades!'

'Oh dear, I didn't learn how to cook until after I married! I learned from my mother.' Mrs. Diggory chuckled. 'I mean, I'm a muggle and my husband and son are half-bloods...and I thought children should learn when they're responsible enough around the stove and knives and then they learn magic cooking in school...Amos and Ced never said anything about that.'

'That's because we didn't know.' Cedric said wryly.

'Well, some human schools have culinary classes, so age is not stopping them.' Iris shrugged. 'Dunno why some schools are like that. Particularly an all-girls' one.' Cedric wisely did not comment on Iris' own skills. She got her cooking ability through cruelty.

'Maybe I should go talk to the Fawcetts and Weasleys sometime about this...' said Mrs. Diggory. 'If we want our children to pass Potions, we should teach them cooking techniques. I'm shocked at these grades and ridiculously high standards.' she said with a frown. 'If Ced wasn't good in academics, he'd have failed Potions.' she sighed. 'Amos was wishing it was someone called Slughorn teaching the subject...'

'Moooom...'

xxx

The next day...

'Cedric! Wake uuuup!' Iris cried as she shook him. 'We're cooking breakfast!'

'Huuuh? Whawassat?' Cedric moaned sleepily.

'You're learning cooking techniques from me to pass Potions, remember?! So up! Don't make me splash you with cold water!'

'Meeeeehhhh...' came the sleepy moan, and some tossing and turning. Iris twitched in annoyance and took out her wand.

'Aqua Glacie!' from the tip of her wand, out came water but...

'COLD!'

And so...

'Jeez, where did you get that water? It's ice cold!' Cedric swore as he got himself ready for lessons. 'And why so early?' he asked as by their kitchen window, the sky outside is so dark...

'Because we're feeding a family, duh.' Iris rolled her eyes as she raided their pantry. 'So let's see...we'll focus on knife skills first. Let me see yours first, starting with potatoes! Breakfast for today is chicken in tomato-based sauce, stir-fry vegetables and egg rolls. The stir-fry and potatoes are YOUR job.'

'OK...' Cedric began peeling his potato but...

'Cedric, we only want the skin off, not cut off potato chunks with it.' Iris sweatdropped as she cast reparo on the potato. 'We'll keep trying until there's a thin peel. And because of time constraints, you'll have to learn how to peel very quick. And we're feeding a family here so pretend we're in Snape's Class! Make it work! We have until your mum and dad wakes up and we better have a meal by then!' she said as she began peeling potatoes and to his disbelief, she makes it look effortless. 'Two hours!'

'I'm trying I'm trying!' "Yeesh, so moms wake up extra early to make breakfast..." Cedric thought wryly as he struggled to make his peels look like hers using a knife. Iris eventually guided his hands, showing him how firm he must be in his fingers and use light thin slices to peel skins off potatoes.

Then there's the vegetables. Chop, Dice, still more Peeling, Chiffonade, Batonnet, Mincing, Tournee, and Julienning-the basic knife cuts. For now, three skills are used. Chop, Dice and Peel. They would have to buy 'toys' from the market for him to practice on the other knife techniques. Not only that, because Potions is mostly liquid magic with a watery base, they would cook dishes that usually required boiling skills.

And so, that morning...

'Oh, you kids are up early?' Mr. Diggory mused as at the kitchens, his son and guest are COOKING.

'Well, for instruction purposes.' Iris said with a smile. 'To be a good potioneer you have to be a great cook!'

'My hands are sore already, she's merciless.' Cedric snarked out good-naturedly.

'Now now Ced, it's for good grades.' Mr. Diggory chuckled while thinking, "That and its to spend more time with your fiancée." he thought craftily. 'Oh if only Slughorn is your teacher in Potions, your grades will be an EE or O.' he sighed. 'Moreover he actually taught preparation 101.' he grumbled.

'Well, excuse us for being born in the wrong era,' Cedric snorted. 'Anyhow breakfast is ready! Oh yeah dad, I need some money.'

'Whatever for?'

'For uh...other cooking lessons, I'll be needing related stuff in the market.' and Cedric gave him a list. 'So uh we'll be making boiling-related foods with vegetables the rest of her stay...'

And after breakfast, Iris read his Sixth Year Potions Book. Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage...and started writing down notes on parchment. 'Iris, what're you doing?' Cedric asked her while she's reading his Potions' book and writing something down.

'Oh, just writing alternative and easier ways.' said Iris. 'Like this one on page ten, Draught of Living Death about the Sopophorus Bean...it says here to cut the bean to get the juice, but you'll hardly get anything from that. So I'm writing down easier and sensible steps instead.'

'Oh...you must be a really good cook. Breakfast alone was great.' he said as he sat with her too close, not that she minded it, too engrossed in making alterations. Her handwriting was neat and easy to understand.

'Ehehe...well, I'm into healthy eating. By Christmas I'm fully recovered from those eleven years.' said Iris with a rather wistful smile. 'I'll probably grow up physically normal after that.'

xxx

After lunch, the two went out together.

'Where are we going today?' Iris asked him. 'With your broom no less.'

'Well, you did all that trouble improving my book with alternate steps, so we should have fun before we make dinner tonight.' said Cedric with a grin. 'We'll be going to the magic side to fly.'

'But isn't your house on the magic side?'

'Ehhh no. Mum wanted to live with muggles because she feels out of place talking with wizarding wives. She can't relate.' said Cedric. 'And dad has his work buddies to socialize with and I'm in school most of the year...'

'Right...so the magic side is where no one cares if we fly in the open?'

'Yup. Dad, Mr.s Fawcett, Weasley and Lovegood warded the area so we can play as much as we like.' Cedric chuckled. 'The ward turns away Muggles by making them think of something else they'd rather do than go into our territory. We can fly there. Maybe you'll like flying in Quidditch. You're the only one in school not a fan of it.'

'I got a good reason that made poor Sirius go in hysterics.' Iris snorted. 'I have visual motion sickness. Watching people dart around like crazy makes me dizzy. If I'm flying on my own broom or in this case, riding with someone, I'm OK since it's not motion sickness but watching it makes me sick.' she admitted. 'Even if I want to join a team since I'm good at flying, I can't. Watching other players dart around me will make me dizzy and I might earn a foul for puking.'

'That's gotta suck. That means you can't watch the Quidditch World Cup next year.' Cedric pouted. 'It's Ireland VS Bulgaria!'

'I can't. So Sirius will be going alone to watch and Dewy will watch over his stuff.' said Iris. 'Maybe he can find some foreign witch to marry or something.'


	19. The Fiancee

The Fiancee

At the magical side of Ottery St. Catchpole...

Cedric took Iris flying on his broom, a Nimbus 1000(he got it when he made Prefect last year), and he likes this broom for convenience, preferring it more to the latest Nimbus 2001s currently owned by the Slytherin Team. It was no news that Lucius Malfoy outfitted the team with the latest brooms just so his son can get into the team. However, while fastest brooms aside, they lacked the features the 1000 he has. His broom has great turning ability and agility. Thus despite lack of speed, he still gets the Snitch because of his broom's traits...and keen eyes.

'Oh, I think I'm seeing the Weasley kids.' said Cedric, spotting other flyers. 'The Fawcett girl was never a big fan of actual flying, preferring just to watch and the Lovegoods are always off every summer.'

'Heee...which ones? The boys look all the same to me.' Iris commented.

'Percy Weasley is more into work than play like you and he's already in his final year so he'd rather do his NEWT work than fly, and just watch. So its most likely the twins and Ron Weasley. I'm a usual flyer around here but they might raise eyebrows if they see you with me.' he chuckled.

'Yeah, and I'm a sight for sore eyes.' Iris snorted.

'Well, you're the only one with a unique sense of fashion.' said Cedric. 'Just where do you get your clothes?'

'Well, my grandma's diary recommended ideal shops for her heirs should she kick it.' Iris smiled. 'The hellish prices are worth it. She praises the store as clothes worthy of nobility and I went for it. But its not a magical store, it's a human store so we use human money in there.'

'You never use the word muggle and muggleborn not even once in actual conversations.' Cedric remarked observantly.

'Well I don't like it. Its a word pureblood egomaniacs created based on the word 'mug' that means hit-and-steal.' Iris said with a grunt. 'And muggleborn actually means 'child of muggers'!' she felt Cedric do a double-take when his back pressed against her face. 'So I just use humans and to refer to er...muggleborns, I just call them 'first-generations' instead. Its not like they steal magic while still in the womb, purebloods are so stupid sometimes. Sirius taught me where those terms came from, being from a just as egomaniacal family he ran away from.'

'I didn't know that! It's been used for ages so it's normal...'

'Now you do.' Iris quipped. 'Nobody can ever steal magic. Share and Seal yes, but never steal power itself. There's no books about that in the Black Family Library and if there was any mention, it usually blows up in their faces as magic itself rebels against the theft. No matter what, you're born and gifted. That, or disowned Squibs marry humans and generations later, the power is restored.'

'I'd like to see the looks on their faces when they get wind they have unknown relatives through disowned family members.' said Cedric wryly.

'They'll probably keel over and die.' Iris giggled. 'Their ahem, purity-equals-nobility is their pride. But purity cannot get you anywhere...skill and intelligence will. Had they gone to foreign countries, they'll be a laughingstock to other purebloods who have power, skill, intelligence and savvy to back it up.'

'Isn't that a bit harsh?'

'Truth is always harsh.'

'Man, makes me think I like to work hard from now on.' Cedric said jokingly. Iris smiled.

'Well, hard work always works.'

'You helped me out in Potions.'

'Because the books are a tad outdated in its steps someone has to fix it.'

Soon, the Weasleys indeed took notice of Cedric's little passenger on his broom.

xxx

'Whoa, what's she doing here Diggory? We thought Black won't let her anywhere out without supervision or something?' asked one of the twins, not sure who.

'Well, Sirius wanted me to ahem, 'stop working and learn how to play'.' Iris snorted. 'I mean, since I have no idea how to play to begin with and then he got some letters, I'm having a sleepover at the Diggorys.'

'A sleepover?!' all three brothers yelped.

'Yes!' Iris chimed happily in child-like glee. 'I never got an invite before and since he's an upperclassman, Sirius thinks its OK.' even Cedric did a double-take as did the brothers. What part of that is OK, in their opinions? Sirius let her stay in an upperclassman's house she barely knew about? Cedric knew that was the cover story as its an excuse to let her meet one of her fiancée and get to know him. The other families will wise up after this for sure...and both Cedric and Iris started playing with the Weasley brothers.

xxx

Meanwhile, in the Mage's Association...

Zelretch was thinking about that girl he met living with her godfather. The girl is fairly powerful yet she has so much untrained potential. Afterall, self-learning can only get you so far. He has met many Magi with 40 Circuits, yet never of such high quality like Iris. Those 50 and above has such luxury due to being of old lineages. Yet she is from an unknown bloodline. Its implied that her grandmother, her magus relative and possibly her mother or father from the same woman passed on, forcing the girl to be self-taught.

Maybe he'll pay Sirius a visit.

xxx

'Oh, its been a while.' said Sirius as this time, Zelretch is pretty much welcome. No doubt, the old vampire thought, Iris vouched for his character. 'Iris is off to meet one of her fiancée candidates so she'll be there the rest of the summer.'

'Ahhh, that time for kids then.' Zelretch nodded sagely. 'Its the same for us Magi. Nobles match their children with the best candidates they can get to ensure prestigious unions that benefit both families.'

'She doesn't know that though.' Sirius grimaced. 'I sorta arranged a Marriage Game behind her back.' Zelretch looked like he had just heard of something...fun. He wagged his eyebrows, egging Sirius to go on. 'Because at the last er Parent-Teacher Conference at the first Monday of summer between Heads of Houses and Parents in Hogwarts, parents would ask them about boys and girls who stood out. Iris, for her looks, skills and grades, stood out that I got bombarded with requests...' he grimaced. 'So I chose the best families who I feel, will give Iris what she long wanted, a happy family.' Zelretch raised an eyebrow at this.

'Isn't she happy with you?'

'She's happy with me but still, she wants a loving husband who in turn would be loving fathers to children she may have...and given her past before I got her in my custody, she does NOT want a repeat to her children. And then there's this dangerous background she wouldn't tell me of. All she said is if her secret is out, she'll live a second hell.' said Sirius. 'She's obsessed with learning as much as she could and getting stronger to avoid two fates...a repeat of her 11 years of life on her children should anyone mess with her future family...and hiding her existence from certain relatives to stay free. All she wanted is freedom and love. But to get both, she must be strong enough to protect herself to get those two things she wants most. And she sees power as a way to get to those two things given...a bull's eye painted on her.'

Sirius had to explain the reason for those two 'bull's eye's but he could not reveal the Forvedge Name.

'I see...your girl sure has a lot of work ahead of her.' Zelretch mused thoughtfully.

'She's working so hard for her goals she has no time to act her age, have fun, be a child, stuff we had the luxury of enjoying.' Sirius lamented. 'I hear at Hogwarts, she disappears every free time. I only learned that she goes to a secret room called Room of Requirement to train in. Not even her dad and our friends found that room...apparently its a special room that equips itself according to the user's needs but it has its limits...it has nothing for human activities like physical training stuff so she makes her own. Her last problem now is...experience. She can learn all skills she wants, and she duels with me but the thing is, Magus Duels are different from Wizarding Duels. She has no experience dueling Magi and we'll be needing help. Someone who has loads of time, who can teach Iris every Summer Holidays how to fight like a Magi.'

xxx

'Are you OK? You've been sneezing a lot!' Cedric frowned in worry as he is simmering taro in hot water after boiling it.

'I don't know...someone must be talking about me!' Iris sniffed while cooking steamed fish. 'You'll be stewing the beef stew OK?'

'Yes yes...'

'We do need to send a lunchbox to your dad's Office so chop chop!'

xxx

Cecilia Diggory observed her son and fiancée. It's day 2 of their week.

They spend time together talking about many things, and teaching her son cooking to improve his school grades with Snape. She even teaches him things he does not understand from _his own book_ which was three years advanced from hers. She must really be a genius given her school grades and practical results and now she's helping her son advance with patient teaching and he appreciates it. She even teaches in a gentle mentoring manner. They also get along really well and to think it's just two days! Two! Moreover Iris also gives great recipes and into 'healthy' cuisine-she hated the 'greasy junk' in Hogwarts Cedric was quick to realize SHE was responsible for the sudden cuisine change in school...not that he minded, he too, is sick of eating the same thing over and over anyway. Even better yet, not even the staff knew her hand in it and thus, everyone's happy with a new change of pace. Heck, because its been years that Cedric never noticed what Iris did-due to the fact that she doesn't get to eat much till Hogwarts and she's proud of her stamina-from running away from her cousin and bullies without a sweat yet a day in Hogwarts she's gasping for breath with a sticky feeling down her chest after a good lunch.

Since the new cuisine she sneakily taught the house elves after a summer of research, Cedric noticed that he felt lighter and better, and a lot of people lost weight in a good way, and shockingly, more awake in classes.

She was pleased. Her son engaged to a beautiful, accomplished girl who knows how to cook! She's loads better than that Chang girl Cedric took home once! She hopes her son can win her over...why, she and Amos would have lovely grandchildren if they hooked up!

xxx

Cedric thought of his fiancée.

According to his own observations, Iris is...what he'd call 'dark innocent'. Dark because she knows cruelty, pain and suffering at a young age he knew she can be cruel if needed, having learned best. And innocence because she has no idea how to act her age, and what love is. She's a pure blank slate. She doesn't even have any idea he's FLIRTING with her and she just thinks he's being 'friendly' and she er...likes it. Well because nobody's been friendly to her so she could not tell the frigging difference between friendliness and flirting unless probably, he gropes her.

Something he would never ever do or his ass is grass-from Lord Black and his own parents. His parents really approve of her for him and they didn't like his current girlfriend Cho. Cho's a really sweet girl. What his parents did not like about her is that she's 'not useful'. What they mean by that is that she does not know how to cook, doesn't do anything around the house and for his girlfriend, she doesn't talk to his parents so they'll get to know the girl he chose but nooo, she pretended they didn't exist and that, was just plain rude. Cedric tried to reassure them she's just shy but his parents put their foot down that got him sulking after Cho went home and they talked about her.

His father likes Iris for obvious reasons, and she sends great lunchboxes to work since 'taking over the kitchens' for a week or dinner if he has to go home late. His mother likes her because she's happy and carefree with a curious manner over things she doesn't understand and makes the effort in getting along with her host family. She even goes out with his mother to the market dressed like THAT and people thought she's a 'young miss' out of place in a wet market, and has no trouble handling wet, and sometimes bloody meat and seafood, not even caring if her expensive clothes are soiled because one scourgify can easily deal with it.

To the muggles of Ottery St., she's a strange rich girl because no rich girl would do things she did. Willingly go to the market wet or no, play with kids outside with him, and get messy in the muggle game football, she was well-liked with the neighbor kids. Neighbors asked his mum about the rich girl staying over their house and they said she's a student from 'Cedric's Boarding School' who wants to see what 'life outside her house' is like while Iris is out of earshot of course-busy playing with boys her age about muggle football in her dress!

Its no news that they have a lovely rich lass staying over given how she dresses and acts. But she was no 'rich brat'. She's 'rich child'.

Everybody grew to like a girl they would most likely, never see again unless Cedric succeeds in winning her heart and marry him, and live in Ottery St. with him.


	20. Excitement in the Forest

Excitement in the Forest

One whole week with the fiancée, and Iris has finally gone home...

Thus the Diggorys began evaluating her.

'What does everyone think of her?' Amos asked his family. 'I don't get to see her much due to work, but she does deliver great lunchboxes!'

'Lineage aside, she's a very sweet girl Amos.' said Cecilia with a smile. 'A great teacher and cook, and heck, everyone in the neighborhood likes her!' Amos did a double-take.

'Everyone in the muggle neighborhood?!' he sputtered incredulously.

'Dad, how often do you see a rich kid mingle, much less play with commoners?' Cedric asked him wryly. 'How often do you see a rich kid go with mom to the WET market and handle wet, bloody meat with her bare hands while choosing what to buy? And play football with other kids while getting down and dirty and doesn't mind? Heck, she even uses her own forehead to hit the ball when the ball got kicked too high for her to kick back!'

'Yes...everyone was giving us weird looks, too.' Cecilia chuckled in amusement. 'The neighbors were asking me about 'the young miss' who's entirely out-of-place in the market. She's also easy to talk to and eager to please. When Ced's off doing his manly things, we talk together.'

'Hey! What manly things?!' Cedric sputtered out.

'Well, sometimes you like being on your own so its me and Iris in those rare moments.' his mother pointed out. 'For someone with a dark history, she's a good girl I'm surprised she's like that. She still manages to be innocent and carefree...'

'And she has no idea I'm flirting.' said Cedric gloomily. 'I'm blatantly, openly flirting...and she doesn't get it when normally, my smile makes girls at school blush.'

'Now now, understand that she's a bit slow.' Amos consoled his son. 'She never grew up like a normal kid no thanks to those blasted muggles...' he grunted in distaste. 'It'll take time. Don't stop trying Ced. Question is, does she like you or not?'

'She likes me and we get along just fine. Just that she has yet to understand what having a crush is first before love you know.'

xxx

Black Residence...

'So Iris, how's your time with the Diggorys?' Sirius asked Iris as she got home from vacation.

'Cedric's really cool!' Iris chimed. 'He lives in a really cool neighborhood in the countryside and we do a lot together! We even played football with some of the human kids and everyone is really nice!' she fired off happily. 'I get to play with other kids!' Sirius smiled, warmth bubbling under said smile.

'Is that so? I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself over the Diggorys.' he said, beaming. 'What do you think of Cedric? He's two years older than you isn't he?'

'Yeah but sometimes, he acts weird but he's still nice.' Iris scratched her head. 'He gives nice hugs though.' Sirius nearly choked. 'Sometimes he gets too close, winks at me a lot...I don't get it.' she said cluelessly.

Sirius face-faulted. She's being courted and she has no idea.

'Er-anyway, have you chosen your new electives yet?' Sirius asked her. 'You put it off for too long now Minerva's sent me a letter about your ahem, indecision.' he said. 'You better choose now Iri!'

'Oh, right, nearly forgot about that one...but I don't really know what to pick!' Iris complained. 'What's useful for my future ANYWAY?'

'Lessee...the Electives are Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies and Study of Ancient Runes.' said Sirius. 'Most people pick two or three, and its rare for people to pick four. Arithmancy is like mathematical divination with some numerology in it. Everything else is exactly what it says.' he said. 'Some of them are needed for future jobs Iri. And Arithmancy is loads of work. You have to be really good in Math and quick calculator to get by.'

'Hummm...let's see...' Iris mused as she took out her checklist from the bookcase. 'I heard from Cedric that Divination has this total quack for a teacher and an easy O but unbearable to stay in cuz' the teacher is a total whacko. I know a lot about human way of life so I guess I know what I'm picking.' and she made three checks.

'Arithmancy eh? You sure? Remus chose that one and he said he 'barely survived' it.' said Sirius. 'Loads of people pick what they're interested in and it turns out they're not made for it. Moreover, you can only drop subjects after two years in it.'

'I'm positive.' said Iris. 'I think being good in Math has great job prospects for me someday. Besides...Numerology is a Magecraft Art so I'm interested in how wizards see Numerology.'

'If you're sure...you better not regret that.' said Sirius as upon checking the checklist, they can finally go shopping for books they need and Iris figured that, she will have to re-adjust the space in her bag with magic after this...and she bought a lot of books about Arithmancy and Runes.

Sirius knew that had Iris had her way, she'll empty her Trust Fund with books...and clothes. It's a good thing it refills when emptied but hey, it speaks volumes on how much a kid spends...in a short amount of time.

And so, after shopping, next day is time to leave for school and Iris listed out what she learned in the past few years. Her goal this time, is Elemental Magic. That, and she's also learning Numerology and Runecraft...wizard style. She finds it intriguing and interesting. And what she's interested in, she studies thoroughly till her curiosity is satisfied.

Her Third Year in Hogwarts...came as normal. She still has no permanent friends but she gets along well with everyone. She didn't give a damn about housing stereotypes, all she cares is what kind of person you are and if you're agreeable or not. So she really didn't have anyone she didn't like...unless you gave her good reason to.

But in Care of Magical Creatures and the Professor is Hagrid because Kettleburn retired...

'C'mon, now, get a move on!' he called as the class approached. 'Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!'

Hagrid led them into the forest. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

'Everyone gather 'round the fence here!' he called. 'That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -'

'How?' said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

'Eh?' said Hagrid.

'How do we open our books?' Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like him, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all shook their heads. Iris took out her unbelted book.

'Hey! How come yours isn't belted?! They bite!' Hermione gasped out.

'Oh, I had to threaten it with either stabbing it with a knife or burning it in the stove and it behaves.' Iris smiled as she took out a mean-looking knife. 'You try, he'll behave!' Hermione squeaked while looking warily at the knife while the others looked at her as if she grew another head.

'Now now, we can't have that, Iris!' Hagrid sputtered out. 'Didn't the storeowners tell yeh kids to stroke its spine so it'll open properly?'

The class shook their heads.

'Jeez, talk about irresponsible.' said Hagrid gruffly, 'Now stroke the spines of yer books and they'll behave. No need for threats, Iris! Righ' then,' said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, 'So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on...'

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

Soon, trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures they had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

'Hippogriffs!' Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. 'Beau'iful, aren' they?'

Iris could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was, half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

'So,' said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, 'If yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer -'

No one seemed to want to.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud,' said Hagrid. 'Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do.'

'Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move,' Hagrid continued. 'It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right - who wants ter go first?'

Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Iris, unaware of what her classmates did around her, and Hagrid on the other hand, beamed. 'Good gal Iris! Now give it a shot!- Let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak.'

He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously for some reason.

'Easy now, Iris,' said Hagrid quietly. 'Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much...'

So Iris stared. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye. 'Tha's it,' said Hagrid. 'Tha's it, Iris...now, bow.'

She did so even if she didn't feel much like exposing the back of his neck to Buckbeak, but she did as she was told. She gave a short bow and then looked up.

The hippogriff was still staring haughtily at her. It didn't move.

'Ah,' said Hagrid, sounding worried. 'Right - back away, now, Iris, easy does it...'

But then, to their enormous surprise, the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.

'Well done, Iris!' said Hagrid, ecstatic. 'Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!' Iris moved slowly toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it. She patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause.

'Righ' then, Iris,' said Hagrid. 'I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!'

This was more than Iris had bargained for. She knows how to ride to a broomstick; but she wasn't sure a hippogriff would be quite the same.

'Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint,' Hagrid instructed, 'an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that...'

To be safe, Iris used Reinforcement on her legs to jump up high than step on the scary bird's wings, causing the class to gasp as no ordinary human or wizard can jump that high. She then used her hands to acrobatically position herself, pulling off a capoeira into a comfortable riding position and Buckbeak stood up upon feeling her weight on his. She wasn't sure where to hold on; everything in front of her was covered with feathers.

'Go on, then.' roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriffs hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Buckbeak, Iris just had time to seize the hippogriff around the neck before she was soaring upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, more like a flying horse, bird-whatever; the hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of her, catching her under his legs and making her feel she was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under his fingers and he didn't dare get a stronger grip; Buckbeak might throw her off if she did so she settled for hugging his neck.

Buckbeak flew her once around the paddock and then headed back to the ground; this was the bit she had been dreading; she leaned back as the smooth neck lowered, feeling she was going to slip off over the beak, then felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground. She just managed to hold on and push herself straight again.

'Good work, Iris!' roared Hagrid as everyone cheered. 'Okay, who else wants a go?'

Emboldened by Iris' success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock, while she watched.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.

'This is very easy,' Malfoy drawled. 'I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?' he said to the hippogriff. 'Are you, you great ugly brute?'

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle found themselves roughly shoved away and Iris was there, without her cloak and wrestling Buckbeak with her bare hands. Her tiny hands against those huge talons, and how the hell is she overpowering a Hippogriff that's several times bigger than her?!

They're so busy staring at her wrestling the Hippogriff and not notice her feet a foot deep into the soil. And still sinking.

'Buckbeak, down!' she cried. 'Hagrid! One insulted Hippogriff over here!' Hagrid who was assisting other students gasped and went sheet white at what he, and soon everyone else is seeing. The smallest girl in their class, wrestling with a Hippogriff!

'IRIS!' Hagrid cried panickingly as he took over Buckbeak to calm him down. 'What the bloody hell happened here?!'

'Dunno, he reared up for attack!' Iris told him as she safely got out of the space of two giants. It took Hagrid a while to calm down Buckbeak.

'Looks like someone's gotta learn their manners.' said Hagrid. 'They're proud and demand respect! They ain't half-eagle fer nothin'! You kids hurt? Iris you hurt? What the bloody hell are yeh thinkin' wrestlin' a Hippogriff, it's a miracle yeh ain't dead yet!' he choked out. When Buckbeak calmed down, he glared at Malfoy and his pals, seemingly nodded at Iris and trotted off back to the paddock on his own.

Neville fainted beside his Hippogriff, causing it to snort. Everybody gulped.

'Now then kids, do NOT insult yer Hippogriffs! Some of yeh may not be as lucky as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle here!'

Said boys just gave him a dirty look.


	21. True Capabilities and Ginger Arrangement

True Capabilities and Ginger Arrangements

The rest of the lesson made everyone learn about manners, and managed to get by without casualty this time, and safely rode on their Hippogriffs before Hagrid went into lecture mode about the creature.

Of course, it didn't take long for word to spread about what happened in Hagrid's Class...and with two foot-deep footprints for proof in the process and many wondered...how strong Iris is. Physically that she earned respect as well as fear among her peers. Of course, she also got a scolding...from the two-way mirror linked to Sirius that she carries, frantically wondering what was she thinking, wrestling with a Hippogriff and 'how she shaved off ten years of his lifespan' in fright he had to pull out Firewhisky!

He got a letter from Remus because he got word in the grapevine about it.

Hagrid still used Hippogriffs that day but now he has a wooden signboard in the forest for his next few year levels that day, on the bottom of the Hippogriff do's and don'ts was; 'There's no Iris Potter to save you this time, she's a 3rd year and **elsewhere**!'

Arithmancy is indeed, a Math Class that required sheer knowledge of Math, Multiplication and Square table knowledge, not just addition, subtraction and division. That, they even use complicated formulas, just to predict possibilities of events to happen, not exactly predicting the future, but events that may happen based on choices made by an individual. Professor Vector was described as very strict by a student who was not sure if he should take her lessons. She was also said to have given out masses of complicated homework to her students, as Iris soon found out when she dished out Homework right after the first day!

As for Ancient Runes, it wasn't Runic Script that she knows Magi use for language or for their Runecraft. They were far different but a unique form of runes. She memorized what Runes can be used for battle in both offense and defense. She'll create and tackle later. For now, her elemental spells are her priority this year.

The new Defense Professor this year, Remus Lupin-is popular in Hogwarts, despite his shabby, frayed robes.

Because Sirius gave everyone a long list last year, he was all about hands-on and everyone bar first years, gets to cast spells while teaching First Years about Dark Creatures and how to deal with them. His classes 2nd Year and Up are in open spaces...with target practice and dummies that show spell effects on the dummies and self-repairs. The best part? He doesn't give homework. Hard part? Peekaboo quizzes and tests. They'd know if they went into a classroom and not their 'practice area'. And it's on random days with no set schedules.

xxx

Albus Dumbledore...and so do many of the staff are wondering...

WHERE is Iris Potter every after classes?

After classes or on every study periods, the girl goes who-knows-where unseen! Nobody ever sees her around in the hallways since First Year. Everyone thinks she has a 'secret place' in Hogwarts to study and train in, explaining her perfect spells in practicals each and every time. Hell, she even pulled off the impossible for 11 years-get Os in Snape's Classes since the man started becoming Potions Teacher in Hogwarts. He said that she's a rare 'competent' once a decade as her work is always perfect for someone who just stepped into the Wizarding World a total blank, as if she's made and born to be a witch.

Made and born indeed.

He looked at her records.

Nothing but Os.

He once questioned her teachers as to how and why she gets so many Os as this, was _impossible_. Nobody gets all Os! A few Os yes but all Os in two years straight? Well, with the exception of her second year DADA that she deliberately failed...well, it's a T! Then again so did most of the boys that year with all girls strangely getting Os...

Apparently all of them took Lockhart for a fool and deliberately fails his class.

He had a chat with the Core Class Staff.

They say that she always perfects her spells on the first try, never gets any mistakes in quizzes and tests, recites perfectly, and in Homework, she really DOES show that she's learning from her and the book by giving her own point of view at the required length of parchment. Most kids would copy-paste from books, but never her. She even sees different possibilities, one or two with a spell, as claimed by McGonagall, Quirinus(before he died that is), and Filius.

In Herbology, her classwork perfect and her given plants to care for, along with Neville Longbottom's is in perfect glowing health and bigger than anyone else's.

Severus said that she's the only one who gets the Potions right. At first he thought its a fluke, but the next successive days...it's no longer a fluke.

Rolanda remarks that she's a great flyer and has promise in Quidditch if only she didn't have virtual motion sickness. She's OK with flying on her own and doing stunts, but when watching others...she gets dizzy which is why she never watches others fly, and would rather stay at school than watch Quidditch-much to the horror of Quidditch Fans in the school.

History of Magic, Cuthbert remembers grading papers that has no mistakes, and perfect homework but its hard for him to remember names and leaves it to the Heads of Houses to put grades in their records...so Minerva said that Iris also perfected his class.

Second Year, Gilderoy Lockhart lamented that the girl-who-lived and most of the boys fails his class-while its no secret to everyone else she deliberately does it out of annoyance at his foolishness, he's the only one out of the loop! Severus even said that his godson personally heard from her that he's a 'dumbass' and 'self-study is an option'.

Third Year is no different. Her teachers in her chosen electives, Hagrid, Septima and Bathsheba also has nice things to say, except, Hagrid dropped a bombshell.

Iris protected Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe from an angry, insulted Hippogriff and wrestled with it with her bare hands while calling him for help, and she got off without a scratch while her feet are a foot deep in soil. Buckbeak respected her more by nodding at her afterward! It was a story no third year will forget which made everyone wonder how strong is that teeny tiny girl who fully recovered from malnourishment in the Infirmary?

Madam Pomfrey swore an oath she didn't give Iris 'steroids'.

Remus has no issues with her either. She and ten others perfect their spells with little to no trouble. Just that...her performances causes everyone to mark her as 'standards'.

So Albus thought that as a very skilled witch that not even HE could compare to in his own Hogwarts years...maybe she indeed possess skills he knew not.

If only he knew the truth.

In the Room of Requirement...Iris is practicing her Elemental Magecraft in Water first before Ice.

xxx

Christmas...Iris received an invitation, this time it's from the Weasley Family. Apparently, Amos let it slip...that she spent a week at the Diggory home. It helps that Arthur Weasley confirmed it because his sons talked about it. And this time, she would be going to Romania on December 27.

'...I'm getting sleepover invites recently.' Iris sweatdropped. First Cedric and now this Charles Weasley?

She went for the Weasley twins who were filling the armors with pranks on the second floor. 'Twins! Can I have a word?' she called out to them, and getting their attention.

'Oh!'

'What can-'

'We do for the-'

'Famous Hippogriff Wrestler?' the twins chorused with a grin. Iris knew dealing with them is a pain even though they were fun guys. Just that, talking to them, is hard.

'Can you guys tell me about Charles Weasley?' two jaws dropped. 'He sent me a sleepover invite on the 27th a day after Christmas.' the jaws hung lower. 'Is he a cousin of yours?'

'No, he's our older brother actually.' said one of the twins.

'Sleepover, you say?' said another.

'Yep. In Romania.' said Iris. 'Never seen him in Hogwarts, it's just Percy, you, Ron and your sister.'

'Ehehe, you see little flower,' said one of the twins as they playfully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 'He graduated three years ago around the time you started!'

'So he's 19 this year?'

'Yep, and you happen to be six years younger than him, eh?'

'Oh, so still a teenager but given how we work, he's working now yes?'

'Yeah, he's on apprenticeship as a Dragon Handler before he becomes official.' they said. 'He's the second coolest brother we got next to Bill. You'll like him!'

'Yeah, he's an outdoorsy guy too.'

'Well, with that kinda endorsement I'd love to meet him!' Iris chirped, clapping her hands. 'I hope I have just as much fun at his place! Living with Cedric was pretty cool!' when Iris left, the two brothers exchanged looks.

xxx

'What's life like with Iris when she stayed over?' Cedric asked the twins who set on interrogating him. 'She's a really curious kid one would think she's a fledgling about to experience her flight beyond her nest.' he said. 'She's cheerful, outgoing, friendly and a patient Potions Teacher...thanks to her I'm getting Os in Snape's class lately just by teaching me how to cook!' he grinned.

'You're passing Snape's class after she taught you how to cook?' they blurted incredulously.

'Yeah, she's a much better teacher, honestly.' Cedric shrugged. 'Even our muggle neighbors like her. How often do you see a girl dressed like her mingle with kids, and get down and dirty with football? She even hits the ball with her chest and her forehead, and can really kick a mean ball!' he said with a grin. 'And how often do you see a girl like her willingly go to the wet market and handle wet and bloody meat and seafood? She's even haggling prices! She sends dad lunchboxes and dinner if he'll be late, muggle Ottery likes her lots. And since she's engaged to your older brother, you have to warn him with one thing: she never sleeps with the lights closed.'

'Why?'

'...Cupboard memories.' the twins flinched. Iris sleeps and is frequently locked up in a cupboard at the Dursleys before her revenge. 'One time there was a neighborhood blackout, she practically crawled in my bed, shaking and had nightmares the whole night.' Cedric shook his head piteously. 'So lights off in her room is a no-no.'

xxx

In Romania...

One Charlie Weasley is stunned when he got a letter from his parents about the Marriage Game and he is one of the fiancées for Iris Potter chosen by her guardian, Lord Sirius Black III. He wondered why the bloody hell was he chosen for a girl six years his junior, couldn't the man have chosen Percy or the twins?

Apparently, he's the first choice BEFORE said twins and because there's no way of knowing who's who between the naughty little pranksters, they might even switch places if one of them is engaged to her and that would be...troublesome which was why he's the first choice over the twins.

Yet while he can understand Bill, why him and not Percy before the twins came second option? Moreover, his parents asked him to host Iris because there is 'no concentration' at home for them to bond. They even sent a photo of Iris, taken by Sirius in their home.

She's a beautiful young thing, compared to him, a stocky, heavily scarred man and to think he's in just an apprenticeship! What more if he became official?


	22. Compare: Humans VS Wizards

A:N- By popular demand by PMs(about 150 to my shock when I woke up this morning), I agreed to redo it; the bottom half at least. Canon Cultural Setting or no from both HP and Nasuverse, Moral Committees sent me a PM to redo this.

* * *

Compare: Humans VS Wizards

Around December 15th, five days away before Christmas Break, Cedric went to see Iris and getting to her before she disappears again.

She tends to disappear on upper floors for some reason. 'Iris, wait!' he called out. Iris turned to see Cedric.

'Hey there.' she greeted. 'What is it?'

'Well, been looking for you but you tend to disappear on the upper floors.' he said in a deadpan voice. Iris had the decency to look sheepish at least.

'Uhhh sorry?' she giggled. 'What is it?'

'Well, I figured we should spend time together.' said Cedric. 'Today. It's a sunday so no work, right?'

'Yeah...so are we gonna play again?' Iris asked him. 'I don't know anyone who can play football other than us.' she pouted. 'I even bought one.' the older boy sweatdropped. She grew to like football since it was the first game she ever played.

'Now now, surely there are muggleborns in your house who may surely know how to play football? Not all half-bloods live in wizarding communities you know.' Cedric pointed out as they walked together.

'They give me that impression.' Iris huffed. 'Muggle this, muggle that...hmph. And the first-generations...they're eager to throw away their background and everything they knew just to fit in here. Makes me wonder what their parents will say when they find out about this...' she shook her head. 'I mean, is it that easy to throw away everything you used to be in favor of becoming something else?'

'Well...that's what everyone does just to avoid the Purebloods getting on their case...and get used to the fact that there's no TV, airconditioning and other electronics here. Probably not even those video games...Nintendo was it?' Cedric explained. 'Yes, it's to fit in but surely at home, they can relax and be themselves again. Many muggleborns adapt to our culture to get by because, well...while they're in Hogwarts, they're in our world. We also pretend to be muggles when we go to their world, so fair is fair.'

'Oh.'

'Well, let's play that football...assuming the Pitch isn't booked. Heheh...' Cedric chuckled as they went away. 'By the way, aren't you wearing your coat?'

'Heating Charms.' moreover as a Magi, her temperature is higher than anyone else's.

And so, at the Quidditch Pitch, the two cleared up the snow with magic before they could play football in the grounds until both of them got tired and went back to the castle, tired but happy.

'Hey Iris...'

'Hm?'

'Have you ever kissed someone before?' Cedric asked her as that got Iris into a pause.

'A kiss...which one? The cheek one or the one I usually see your mum and dad do when they think we weren't looking?' Cedric nearly tripped when he heard that. As for Iris, while she does not know romantic love, she ironically knows about that three-letter word because of an ability she may or may not possess despite her lineage because technically, she's a quarter-Forvedge. It was a necessity for her to know how to 'transfer' bodily fluids and get pregnant. She also learned to always use Structural Analysis in her womb every week to know when she's fertile or not. If she's fertile, Synchronizing will get her pregnant in the process. If she's not fertile, it's safe to do it after she menstruates till her next ovulation and fertile period.

'The second.'

'Hummm nooo...I mean, I've never done it before.' said Iris in a thinking pose. 'I've only done the cheek one with Siri and Moony.'

'Moony?'

'Remus.' said Iris. 'He's kinda like an honorary uncle. Why ask me about that second kiss all of a sudden?' Iris asked him curiously.

'Well, just asking...I mean, have you even liked a boy enough to kiss him on the lips yet?'

'I dunno...do kids our age feel that way so soon?' Iris asked him curiously with sheer...innocence.

'Well, kids YOUR age normally do...crushing on boys and girls...falling in and out of love...I mean, on your time going who-knows-where, have you seen pairs of older boys and girls go into unused rooms and stuff?'

'Sometimes...'

'Well, they do what parents in love do when they're alone.' Cedric blushed. 'Kissing and...other adult things. I believe we call it 'making out'.'

'Humm...you mean...' to Cedric's mortified horror, Iris described to him naughty things she's seen on her nightly and weekend excursions whenever she goes out magic practice. However, she referred to the xxxxx as 'long fleshy stick between the legs' and the xxxxxx as 'tiny hole he shoves it into' and girl in question enjoys it.

'Y-yes, that.' he choked out. Good grief, she DOES see some things...lucky she doesn't see him and Cho...sometimes they do that too.

'Do you have that long fleshy stick too?' Iris asked him curiously.

'Of course all boys and men do!' Cedric sputtered out, his face getting redder and _its not from the cold_.

'Really big, thick and long? How do you guys walk around in that anyway? It's weird.' Cedric wondered how he would explain that to her...even more when she innocently groped him between the legs. 'Huh? It's small?'

Cedric wished the ground would swallow him whole right now.

Her innocent comment also somewhat unwittingly damaged his...manly pride. How is he going to explain those things?

Well, now he knows how his dad felt when he gave him 'The Little Wizard's Talk'.

xxx

Iris soon left her friend who made a quick excuse to leave.

On the other hand, she had fun at his expense. It was funny seeing him so awkward.

She may not know about romantic love, having only learned familial and platonic recently, but she does know what sex is because of the family Sorcery Trait. But she doesn't want to do it just yet even if she wanted to sate her curiosity. She's only 13 and yet people her age are doing it already.

Maybe because their growing up is so...rushed?

Well, graduation and adult age is 17 in this world.

If humans are **Kindergarten-Elementary**-**Junior High**-**High School**-**College**. Graduation Age: **21-25**. VERY ADULT and when they 'do it', they're around High School to College Age...although some really do it younger out of curiosity or the hell of it. Even those of morally questionable backgrounds but they are very rare cases.

Wizarding Folk?

It's this.

**Tutor at home: Language**(no penmanship lessons though)-**Math(limited degree)-Wizarding Culture/Pureblood Egomania and Blood Statuses**-**Law-Hogwarts**. And in Hogwarts, Iris can compare the seven levels of Hogwarts Education to very short years of Junior High**(1-2)**, High School**(3-4)** and College**(5-6-7)**. Not much room for things more necessary in life to learn while growing up is rushed so she's 'seeing naughty things' around school while on the way to the Room of Requirement. Had the Wizarding Folk have Elementary Years or something, maybe they'll be a bit smarter with much better penmanship. Their penmanship is simply atrocious, a grade schooler can do better.

Thank god for Penmanship Lessons in Language Class at Grade School. She could write neatly and in cursive. And because she, and other Muggleborns are advanced in Language and Math, they do better. Unless they're the kind who are average in classes long before Hogwarts, that is.

She's resigned to the fact that they're somewhat...lacking.

There's more to life and knowledge than what you learn at Hogwarts after all.

Sometimes, she wanted to 'do it' too just to see if she inherited the 'family trait', but she's a celebrity and she has a public image to maintain. Had she been an ordinary teenager, she'd go unnoticed but any boy would brag that they 'did it' with her, the most beautiful girl in school, word will spread...she doesn't want to open that can of worms. Fame has its downsides so it'll be a while to know if she did have it...or not.

She observed her peers for a long time.

Having lived as a human for ten years with five years of Elementary Education, she along with Muggleborns knows advanced English(Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary and Penmanship) and Mathematics(Addition, Subtraction, Division, Multiplication and Square Tables), these Wizarding Kids lack. Some of them can't even spell properly!

Yet said people look down on Muggleborns when in reality, they're smarter than them.

Morons.

Iris thought that after graduating at Hogwarts, she should give the Magus Association a shot and maybe, have some intellectual peers for a change.

xxx

Christmas Holidays came, and everybody had gone home for the Hols.

Beyond the world outside the Boundary Field, the gardens are maintained and of course, still alive. Magic kept the soil warm, not freezing. The garden pond still flowing, not a solid block of ice with koi still swimming around. But of course, due to the season, they do not bloom. They just stay green and that's it.

'We're home!' Remus called out as they got home.

'Maybe Sirius is at the gym.' said Iris. 'The gyms close at the 23rd for Holidays.'

'I suppose so.' Remus mused thoughtfully.

'Have you given the gyms a shot Remus?' Iris asked him as they settled down at home.

'Nah, I just procure the needed equipment and then do the regime at home.' Remus told her. 'I can't have the Instructors notice my monthly behavior you know. I mean, absent for a week straight every month?' he pointed out. Since Sirius' freedom, he had called Remus over and dragged him out to gym and healthy living, along with healthcare potions to regain the good looks they lost from stress and all else, because they looked too old for someone around their early thirties and the vain dog animagus wouldn't have any of it. 'But the Room of Requirement you found helped me out a lot.' he said. 'It has complete facilities for a transforming Werewolf...a reinforced, silver room my wolfy self can't touch, all I did was roar and throw a tantrum. I can't be destructive or be poisoned by silver.'

'How did you find that room anyway?' he asked her. Since he took to making his home his personal gym, he took to physical fitness and eating healthy thanks to his friend. And when he got the job of Defense Professor, he put everything in his trunk(the equipment is shrunken of course) and he and Iris go together to use the room. Half the room he uses, half the room is hers when they go training. Thus, just like Sirius, he is recovering his health-and his youth back. But it'll be a while before he looks his age.

'Oh, the Sorting Hat told me on my Sorting Night.' said Iris. 'He wanted to see how a Magus will fare in the halls of a Wizarding School...'

'Really? The Hat told you?'

'Yep. It's the most secret room nobody knows about.' Iris giggled. 'Nobody knows of it. Well, until us, that is. Oh, the Weasley Twins know too. Apparently they have the Map you guys made and keep noticing I go upstairs and vanishing...they ask me about it and then they end up using the room too on their free times, while knowing nighttime is ours.'


End file.
